Should I Stay or Should I Go? Understanding How British and Indonesian Extremists Disengage and Why They Don't
Abstract
This article compares how individuals from two different Salafi‐jihadi groups disengage from high‐risk activism and political violence. Drawing on original interviews, we explore the “push” and “pull” factors that influence our respondents' decisions to leave. We identify numerous push‐and‐pull factors that are consistent with previous research, including disagreements with group leaders over strategy and practices and educational and employment opportunities. We also contribute to existing research by including “persistent activists” in our sample who did not disengage. Surprisingly, these respondents remained in their groups despite experiencing some of the same push‐and‐pull factors as those who left. Including this variation allows us to separate necessary but insufficient conditions of disengagement from factors that exert a more profound impact. We highlight the influence of one key factor—and its absence—in our discussion: alternative social networks with supportive outsiders for those who left and the lack of such meaningful relationships for those who remained. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research for countering violent extremism.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 10, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1111/pops.12713
Entities
People
- Julie Chernov Hwang
- Michael Kenney
Organizations
- Goucher College
- Office of Naval Research
- University of Pittsburgh