Family and Jihadism: A Socio-Anthropological Approach to the French Experience

This book explores the importance of family to jihadism in France, Spain, and Europe, focusing on the Mohammed Merah case study in France and the North and Catalonia in Spain. It demonstrates the need among jihadists to reconstitute the family, whether in the form of a clan or the imagined Caliphate, as a form of shared existence that offers escape from societies in which jihadists feel ill-at-ease.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 272 pages
\n Publication date: 29 December 2021
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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This comprehensive volume delves into the profound significance of family in the context of jihadism across France, Spain, and Europe. In France, it specifically examines the paradigmatic case study of Mohammed Merah in the Toulouse region, highlighting the unique dynamics and challenges faced by jihadists in that region. In Spain, the focus expands to include the North and Catalonia, shedding light on the diverse experiences and perspectives of jihadists in these areas. By examining both the concrete family, often grappling with crisis, and the imagined family invented by radicalized youth to replace it, the book underscores the fundamental urge among many jihadists to reconstitute the family, whether in the form of a clan or the envisioned Caliphate (or neo-Ummah). This form of shared existence serves as a means of escape from societies that jihadists perceive as hostile or uncomfortable.

By challenging the notion that jihadism can be solely explained through the actions of individual actors, Family and Jihadism emphasizes the crucial role of the family (in an extended anthropological sense) into which individuals are inserted. It explores the crisis of family and the process of re-creation of a new, enlarged family in the lives of young jihadists, offering valuable insights into the complex dynamics of radicalization, political violence, social movements, and religious violence. This book appeals to scholars and researchers across sociology, anthropology, politics, and security studies who are interested in understanding the multifaceted aspects of jihadism and its impact on society.

\n Weight: 348g\n
Dimension: 187 x 389 x 24 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781032077345\n \n