Understanding Islamic Radicalization How the North Caucasian Field Research Can Enrich Theory

Abstract

This article addresses two main issues: 1) the research progress in radicalization theory and its development trends; 2) the relevance of field research of Islamic communities in the North Caucasus for the radicalization theory. The author maintains that different conceptions of radicalization, from simple to more complex and most comprehensive ones, have failed to cope with the key problems inherent in this approach. One of the main ways to enrich the radicalization theory is to expand its information basis, including through field research. The results of field research conducted in the North Caucasus by the author suggest the need to look closely at the role of macro processes in understanding radicalization; at religious radicalism as a “commodity” not only on the religious market, but also on the market of ideologies and youth cultures; and at competition among different religious ideologies as a mechanism that can turn mutual relations between the opponents and proponents of violent actions into a “two-way street,” and not a “conveyor belt” or “firewall.”.