TRAUMA PERSPECTIVE ON VULNERABILITY TO RADICALIZATION

We live in a highly traumatized world with severe human and social costs. Traumas are often caused by a toxic culture that is unsuitable for people and induces several illnesses born of stress, poverty, social isolations, climate change, environmental degradation etc. Individuals and communities trapped in trauma cycles often present the breeding grounds for severe social problems and violence, including political violence. While there have been significant theoretical advances in understanding the process of radicalization, the comprehension of complex interactions of factors that trigger radicalization remains extremely challenging. One of the most potentially fruitful avenues of exploration that has emerged in recent years, has been the application of trauma-informed frameworks in relation to radicalization processes, which also encouraged this post-doctoral project. Further, the project will also adopt social-ecological systems perspective on radicalisation which offers a useful framework for understanding the various personal, social, and cultural factors and their interactions that might give rise to individual’s involvement in violent groups. The main objectives of the project are to a) expand and deepen the knowledge on how trauma increases the vulnerability to radicalization; b) explore the interaction between different factors on micro, mezzo, and macro levels for radicalization. The project will focus on two highly traumatized and radicalized regions, Middle East, and Western Balkans, with special focus on Lebanon and Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH). Since this field of inquiry is still in early stages and needs further evidence, the project will adopt Mixed methods research (more specifically Exploratory sequential design) that enables the provision of rich and comprehensive data and compares quantitative and qualitative data. Further it reflects participants’ point of view, which means that findings are grounded in participants’ experience. This is extremely relevant when exploring extremely personal and sensitive topics such as trauma and radicalization. In the first phase of the project interviews with (former) radicalized persons in Lebanon and BiH will enable us to: a) Identify traumatic events and personal traumatic experiences, especially adverse childhood experiences, and explore the meanings that persons attach to these experiences; b) Investigate if and how personal trauma has been reframed through narratives of collective experience to explore the role of intergenerational and historical trauma in radicalization process; c) Explore how micro level factors, especially trauma, feed into meso (radical milieu) and macro factors. In the second phase of the project the results from the first phase will enable us to a) Design an instrument to measure variables in the study that will enhance the understanding of how exposure to trauma increases vulnerability to radicalization, and b) Measure the vulnerability to radicalization through the lens of trauma among youth in Lebanon and BiH. In the last phase of the project, we will summarize and interpret both qualitative and quantitative results. The results of the research will be beneficial on multiple levels. We will provide innovative insights into the complex process of radicalization that can help both academics, practitioners and communities develop a deeper understanding of roots of radicalization and create appropriate interventions for de-radicalization and counter-radicalization.