How Do People Radicalize? Introduction To Educational Displacement Theory
This empirical study extrapolates insights specific to the Bosnian and Herzegovinian context to demonstrate how Salafism can radically alter the dominant thinking and behavior of ordinary individuals once they feel displaced from the mainstream institutions and particularly from formal education. At the core of the displacement and replacement model of radicalization is a mentor that individuals connect with either online or in person. Using the primary data collected from 20 radicalized individuals, the study sequences a ten-step radicalization model through which the interviewees have transformed from ordinary citizens into radicalized actors with a potential to engage in violent extremism.