Different Kind of Extremism in a Comparative Perspective

Radicalisation studies have devoted significant attention to identifying the drivers of this phenomenon, i.e. the factors that can contribute to sparking and fostering the adoption of increasingly extreme beliefs, which can potentially result in confrontational or violent attitudes. Since the emergence of the Islamic State in 2014 the literature in this field has undergone a notable expansion, encompassing not only Islamist and jihadist extremism but also far-right and far-left extremism, as well as separatism. However, as the contemporary landscape of radicalisation becomes increasingly fluid, characterised by hybrid forms of extremism and convergences between different ideologies, a comparative investigation of the identified drivers of radicalisation is a useful step to guide future research. This article presents the main findings of a systematic review of scientific and grey literature produced between 2015 and February 2021 on the drivers of the four main types of extremism at the micro, meso, and macro levels, conducted within the framework of the European Horizon 2020 project “PARTICIPATION: Analysing and preventing radicalisation via participation”. The review identifies three main clusters of drivers: those related to cumulative extremism, the “place” of radicalisation, and hybridisation/ emerging forms of extremism.