PEDAGOŠKI INŠTITUTSymposium organizers
Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana (Slovenia),
Faculty of the Social Sciences (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) and
Faculty of Arts (University of Maribor, Slovenia)
invite you to the international online symposium
MAKING SENSE OF RADICALIZATION AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM
Thursday, May 27 2021
Symposium presentation:
As a major threat to security and stability, radicalization and violent extremism are among the most pressing challenges facing modern plural societies. The brutality of terrorist attacks and their frequency have brought to the forefront problems previously either compartmentalized in specialized courses on intelligence and security studies or at the very fringes of scholarly interest. Moreover, post-9/11 scholarship on radicalization and violent extremism has also been marked by its expansion into disciplines and areas of research as diverse as political science, criminology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology and philosophy. This ‘emancipation’ from the exclusive domain of the security and intelligence ‘industry’ has been characterized by a new sensitivity over issues previously thought to be outside the purview of research on terrorism and political violence in general.
At the same time, despite the consensus that radicalization and violent extremism represent a major challenge to the security and stability of contemporary societies, the field of ‘radicalization research’ has been characterized by a significant degree of ‘conceptual negligence’. In fact, conceptual confusion has arguably been among the most pressing ‘collateral damages’ stemming from the ‘war on terror’. Alongside some of the long-standing controversies associated with terrorism, e.g. ‘the problem of double standards’ [‘one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’], research on radicalization and violent extremism faces a panoply of moral and conceptual tensions, problems and challenges. Interestingly enough, while radicalization has become one of the ‘great buzzwords’ of the intelligence and security ‘industry’, pleas for its very abandonment as a useful analytical category have also started to emerge.
This international [online] symposium entitled Making Sense of Radicalization and Violent Extremism brings together some of the leading contemporary scholars working on a range of issues associated with radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism in general. Its overall aim is to move beyond the ‘conventional wisdom’ associated with radicalization and violent extremism best represented by many of its well-known slogans, metaphors as well as various thought-terminating clichés. Speakers will address a wide range of issues, problems, and challenges existing scholarship leaves either neglected or outrightly ignored.
The Making Sense of Radicalization and Violent Extremism online symposium will be carried out as a Zoom Webinar. This symposium is free and open to the public (with previous registration required). After registration, each participant will receive the link to attend this online symposium.
The symposium was recorded and is available on Educational Research Institute’s YouTube Channel.
Any queries related to this symposium, its program etc. is to be sent to the symposium coordinator Dr Mitja Sardoc (email: mitja.sardoc@guest.arnes.si).
Symposium program:
The event is organized with the support of SLODRE (The Slovenian Educational Research Association).
PRIJAVA