Written by John Berger and published in August 2018, this book attempts to understand what extremism is, how extremist ideologies are constructed, and why extremism can escalate into violence.
The blurb for the book states that “Berger offers a nuanced introduction to extremist movements, explaining what extremism is, how extremist ideologies are constructed, and why extremism can escalate into violence”.
Berger shows that although the ideological content of extremist movements varies widely, there are common structural elements:
- that it arises from from a perception of “us versus them”;
- that it is intensified by the conviction that the success of “us” is inseparable from hostile acts against “them”;
- it differs from ordinary unpleasantness (hatred and racism) by its “sweeping rationalisation of violence”.
- Browse our Resources archives for more updated related research
- Leaving the War on Terror: suggestions for progressive alternatives (Report, 2019)
- The rise and restraint of the preventative state (Journal article, 2019)
- The ‘science’ of pre-crime: The secret radicalisation study underpinning Prevent (Report, 2016)