The same pieces to a different puzzle? Comparing radicalisation towards right-wing and Islamist extremism

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in the presence of far right sentiments and exposure in the Netherlands, numbers show that especially youth seem to be vulnerable to such radicalisation. Youth in general are more vulnerable to extreme ideologies due to vulnerabilities in developmental years from childhood to adolescence. Nevertheless, only a small portion of youth undergo a radicalisation process. The reasons as to why some youths are more perceptible to radicalisation towards the far right are not well understood. This research aims to answer the following research question: Are the factors that impact radicalisation processes of youth towards the far right similar to those in Islamist extremist radicalisation? Since 9/11, a large body of literature has been established that focuses on radicalisation processes within Islamist extremism. Hafez and Mullins (2015) synthesised the existing literature and developed the Radicalization Puzzle model. This model consists of four factors that interact and together form the basis for radicalisation: grievances, networks, ideology and enabling environments. Although the literature provides many valuable insights, not much research exists on radicalisation pathways within the far right, and even less focuses on youth. Furthermore, radicalisation...