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The Western Jihadi Subculture and Subterranean Values

Cottee, Simon (2019) The Western Jihadi Subculture and Subterranean Values. The British Journal of Criminology, 60 (3). pp. 762-781. ISSN 0007-0955. E-ISSN 1464-3529. (doi:10.1093/bjc/azz081) (KAR id:79037)

Abstract

This article draws on the criminological work of Gresham Sykes and David Matza as a starting point for theorizing the nature and appeal of the western jihadi subculture, defined here as a hybrid and heavily digitized global imaginary that extols and justifies violent jihad as a way of life and being. It suggests that at the centre of this subculture are three focal concerns: (1) Violence and Machismo; (2) Death and Martyrdom; and (3) Disdain of the Dunya. More critically, it argues that these three focal concerns have immediate counterparts in the shadow values of the wider society with which western jihadists are in contention. This argument has important implications for debates over radicalization and the attractions of jihadist activism.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/bjc/azz081
Uncontrolled keywords: Jihadi subculture, subterranean values, machismo, dunya, martyrdom, radicalization
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Depositing User: Simon Cottee
Date Deposited: 29 Nov 2019 12:14 UTC
Last Modified: 08 Dec 2021 00:00 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/79037 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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