BU Research Blog

The murder of Jo Cox MP last week draws our attention to neglected dimensions of the problem of ‘radicalisation’. While a threat of neo-Nazi terrorist activity has existed in Britain for some time, we have tended – for understandable reasons – to use this term only in connection with the recruitment of young Muslims to violent takfiri Islamism. As yet only very little is publicly known about her killer and his motives, but the evidence we have, including that that he chose to present his action as political, suggests two things. One is that the ‘radicalisation’ of individuals (whatever that process is) to the point where they become capable of murder is not only a problem of Islamism. The other is that the mental health factor in today’s terrorisms cannot now be ignored.

Sadly, the topic of the third BU ‘Dialogue in the Social Sciences’ now has added urgency. To be held at 5.15 on Wednesday 22 June, in the EBC, the title of this public event is ‘Radicalisation: what is it and what threat does it pose?’ Professor Matthew Feldman of Teesside University is an expert on the Far Right; he will be joined by Emma el-Badawy of the University of Exeter and Dr Usama Hasan of the counter-radicalisation organisation the Quilliam Foundation, both experts on violent Islamism. Professor Barry Richards will be in the chair.

To register for a free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dialogues-in-the-contemporary-social-sciences-22-june-tickets-25949415400