Mindsets and narratives
A commentary on Quassim Cassam’s Extremism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12918832 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Naomi Kloosterboer (0000-0003-2380-2308, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1026-1031 |
| Publication date | 2022-07-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Critical Studies on Terrorism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1753-9161 • E-ISSN: 1753-9153 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17539153.2022.2082095 |
| PMID | 36366770 |
| OpenAlex | W4285491901 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 5 |
In his newest book, Extremism (Cassam 2022), philosopher Quassim Cassam brings together and analyses many different concepts in extremism studies, such as ideology, violence, radicalisation, grievances, counternarratives, fanaticism, radicalism, and fundamentalism. Central to the book is the distinction between three different types of extremism: ideological, methods, and psychological extremism. This distinction illuminates the different ways in which the term is used and can be used to identify an extremist. In this commentary, I question what I consider to be Cassam’s predominantly individualistic approach to becoming and being an extremist. I will first focus on one of the types – psychological or mindset extremism – and question its relation to (counter-)extremist narratives. Next, I draw attention to Cassam’s emphasis on the role of epistemic agency instead of the role of social or structural factors in radicalisation processes, and argue that conceptualising agency as situated diminishes the dichotomy between these different explanations
Linguistics · Media studies · Narrative · Political science · Sociology · Terrorism · Violent extremism · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |