Formers & families: transitional journeys in and out of extremism in the UK, Denmark and The Netherlands

Abstract

This report describes an academic study into the possible role played by family members in processes of radicalisation and de-radicalisation of young people. Researchers from the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherland co-operated to find an answer to the question whether the development of radicalisation is influenced by the pedagogical climate in the family and by the responses of parents and other ‘educators’. The report shows that behind radicalisation there are real and important needs having to do with the challenges of the transition between youth and adulthood. A pedagogical perspective demonstrates the interconnectedness of psychological mechanisms and ideological narratives at this life stage. A pedagogical contribution to understanding and dealing with issues of radicalisation and extremism will have to negotiate precisely this complex developmental reality.