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The Social Construction of Extremism / JOHN BERGER

Swansea University Author: JOHN BERGER

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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.68840

Abstract

There is no consensus definition of extremism in academic or policy circles. Most existing definitions classify extremism as a fringe or anti-authority phenomenon that only exists relative to the mainstream of society. This thesis addresses the important gaps that result in the literature. For insta...

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Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2024
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Macdonald, Stuart ; Reed, Alastair
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68840
first_indexed 2025-02-10T12:45:50Z
last_indexed 2025-02-11T05:54:03Z
id cronfa68840
recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2025-02-10T12:54:26.5508052 v2 68840 2025-02-10 The Social Construction of Extremism c6c1ae68091e3c081363177ee86868c9 JOHN BERGER JOHN BERGER true false 2025-02-10 There is no consensus definition of extremism in academic or policy circles. Most existing definitions classify extremism as a fringe or anti-authority phenomenon that only exists relative to the mainstream of society. This thesis addresses the important gaps that result in the literature. For instance, movements that seize and/or hold power are not considered extremist while in power even if their beliefs and behaviors are substantially unchanged. The relative framework also inhibits the study of how historically mainstream movements (such as White nationalism) are related to contemporary fringe movements with substantially the same beliefs. These questions are vitally important because most extremist movements seek to take control of their host societies. Using grounded theory to analyze case studies across a wide historical span, this thesis argues that defining extremism as “the belief that an in-group’s success or survival can never be separated from the need for hostile action against an out-group” creates a thematically consistent category for comparative and longitudinal study. This thesis concludes that important insights can be generated by comparing diverse ideologies using the definitional framework, especially when comparing movements that are socially dominant to those that are socially marginalized. Across the case studies, extremists are found to grapple with the mechanics of social construction, including strategies to take or claim control of the in-group’s consensus view of reality. Social context also shapes the nature of the hostile actions extremists seek to implement. The thesis concludes with a challenge to the field’s conventional wisdom assertion that extremism presents adherents with a simplified worldview that reduces their cognitive labor. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Extremism, Violent Extremism, Terrorism, Countering Violent Extremism, Anti-Semitism, Racism, Jihadism, Neo-Nazism, al Qaeda, ISIS, slavery 10 12 2024 2024-12-10 10.23889/SUthesis.68840 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4621-7300 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Macdonald, Stuart ; Reed, Alastair Doctoral Ph.D Facebook; VOX - Pol | Network of Excellence Facebook; VOX - Pol | Network of Excellence 2025-02-10T12:54:26.5508052 2025-02-10T12:41:59.0148972 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law JOHN BERGER 1 68840__33550__6c5baf21643b4d35bf30e8167336884a.pdf Berger_John_M_PhD_Thesis_Final_Cronfa.pdf 2025-02-10T12:50:46.2839579 Output 4056740 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The Author, John M. Berger, 2024. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Third party content is excluded for use under the license terms. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en
title The Social Construction of Extremism
spellingShingle The Social Construction of Extremism
JOHN BERGER
title_short The Social Construction of Extremism
title_full The Social Construction of Extremism
title_fullStr The Social Construction of Extremism
title_full_unstemmed The Social Construction of Extremism
title_sort The Social Construction of Extremism
author_id_str_mv c6c1ae68091e3c081363177ee86868c9
author_id_fullname_str_mv c6c1ae68091e3c081363177ee86868c9_***_JOHN BERGER
author JOHN BERGER
author2 JOHN BERGER
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.68840
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law
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description There is no consensus definition of extremism in academic or policy circles. Most existing definitions classify extremism as a fringe or anti-authority phenomenon that only exists relative to the mainstream of society. This thesis addresses the important gaps that result in the literature. For instance, movements that seize and/or hold power are not considered extremist while in power even if their beliefs and behaviors are substantially unchanged. The relative framework also inhibits the study of how historically mainstream movements (such as White nationalism) are related to contemporary fringe movements with substantially the same beliefs. These questions are vitally important because most extremist movements seek to take control of their host societies. Using grounded theory to analyze case studies across a wide historical span, this thesis argues that defining extremism as “the belief that an in-group’s success or survival can never be separated from the need for hostile action against an out-group” creates a thematically consistent category for comparative and longitudinal study. This thesis concludes that important insights can be generated by comparing diverse ideologies using the definitional framework, especially when comparing movements that are socially dominant to those that are socially marginalized. Across the case studies, extremists are found to grapple with the mechanics of social construction, including strategies to take or claim control of the in-group’s consensus view of reality. Social context also shapes the nature of the hostile actions extremists seek to implement. The thesis concludes with a challenge to the field’s conventional wisdom assertion that extremism presents adherents with a simplified worldview that reduces their cognitive labor.
published_date 2024-12-10T05:21:54Z
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score 11.089572

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