Structure and Performance in a Violent Extremist Network
The Small-world Solution
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6283418 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Kenney (0000-0001-9803-8522, University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author), Stephen Coulthart (National Security Studies Institute, University of Texas at El Paso, TX, USA), Dominick Wright (Department of Defense, Washington, DC, USA) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 2208-2234 |
| Publication date | 2017-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022002716631104 |
| OpenAlex | W2313202920 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 27 |
This study combines network science and ethnography to explore how al-Muhajiroun, a banned Islamist network, continued its high-risk activism despite being targeted for disruption by British authorities. We analyze news reports, interviews, and field notes using social network analysis and qualitative content analysis to test hypotheses pertaining to network structure and performance. Our analysis suggests that the activist network’s structural properties had important implications for its performance during three separate time periods. What began as a centralized, scale-free-like, small-world network centered on a charismatic leader evolved into a more decentralized “small-world-like” network featuring clusters of local activists connected through multiple bridges. This structure allowed the activist network to engage in contentious politics even as its environment became increasingly hostile. We conclude by discussing the implications of al-Muhajiroun’s small-world solution for scholars and policy makers
Charisma · Charismatic authority · Contentious politics · Ethnography · Field (mathematics · Network analysis · Network structure · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social media · Social movement · Social network (sociolinguistics · Social network analysis · Sociology · Test (biology · Complex Network Analysis Techniques · Computer Science · Engineering · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
Structure, positions and mechanisms
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Too central to fail? Terror networks and leadership decapitation
Introducing the Latin American Transnational Surveillance (Lats) dataset
Beyond the urban-rural binary
Networks of Conflict and Cooperation
A Disruptive Influence? "Prevent-ing" Problems and Countering Violent Extremism Policy in Practice
Social Networks and Health
Network ‘Small-World-Ness’
Power-Law Distributions in Empirical Data
Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks
Activists beyond Borders
Networks of Nations
Radical Islam Rising
Understanding Terror Networks
Social Movements, Political Violence, and the State
Political networks
Targeting Top Terrorists
Attacking the Leader, Missing the Mark
Covert or Convenient? Evolution of Terror Attack Networks
Activists beyond borders
Power Positions
Network Analysis for International Relations
The Ties that Bind
When Heads Roll
The 'New' Science of Networks
Collaboration and Creativity
Networks, Dynamics, and the Small-World Phenomenon
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,78 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2025 (9) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |