Emotional Trials in Terrorism Research: Running Risks When Accessing Salafi-Jihadist Foreign Fighter Returnees and Their Social Milieu

Abstract

Islamist radicalization and terrorism studies, besides lacking in methodological transparency, have long suffered from immense access problems. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Sweden and Denmark—two countries with significant populations of Salafi-jihadist Western foreign fighter returnees—this article focuses on challenges to gaining initial access to a field described as emotionally demanding, hard-to-reach and high-risk. Addressing emotional trials that emerge when experiencing risks of physical dangers, emotional stressors and ethical issues, we demonstrate how emotions shape and influence decisions made in the field, such as whether to continue or to give up attempting to gain initial access. Thus, we provide the transparency that is so crucial to unraveling and understanding the methodological obstacles to accessing Salafi-jihadist environments.