Understanding Terrorism and Security in Global Context: Psychological Roots, Consequences, and Interventions

Radicalization and terrorism have become major problems at national, regional, and global levels, with enormous psychological, cultural, and material consequences for individuals and societies. It is argued that radicalization, terrorism, and security more broadly, can be best understood through an approach that gives highest priority to context (as in the tradition developed by Milgram, Zimbardo, and others), rather than to dispositional characteristics.

This thesis is developed using, first, a cultural-evolutionary account of 'catastrophic evolution' and 'sudden contact' (Moghaddam, 2008a) and, second, a staircase metaphor of the radicalization process (Moghaddam, 2005a). Central to both these levels of analysis is the experience of collective identity threat, which is argued to be prevalent in the contemporary Islamic world (Moghaddam, 2006a) but also shared by some White groups in Western societies, including Norway. 'Collective identity threat' is described as part of a New Global Insecurity (Moghaddam, 2010) experienced in association with 'fractured globalization' (Moghaddam, 2008b) to varying degrees by many people around the world.

Period
30-07-2012 - 03-08-2012 (1 weeks)

Target group
PhD students, postgraduate students

Course aim
To provide PhD research training at the highest level.

Credits
10.0 ECTS credits

Course fee
NOK 3200: The tuition fee covers parts of the reading material, lunch every course day, as well as some social arrangements.

Course leader
Professor Fathali M. Moghaddam

University of Oslo Faculty of Social Sciences
Address: P.O.Box 1084 Blindern Oslo
Postal code: 0317
City: Oslo
Country: Norway
Website: http://www.sv.uio.no/english/research/doctoral-degree/summer-school/index.html
E-mail: t.h.torneby@sv.uio.no
Phone: +4722854449