Women and Violent Radicalization

Abstract

The present report has two main sections, each containing two chapters. The purpose of the first section is to better define the composition and contours of “radicalization leading to violence”. Its first chapter (3.1) clarifies the concepts and definitional issues around such radicalization. Its second chapter (3.2) demonstrates the value of approaching the topic from the angle of gender and gender-differentiated analysis. After a historical review of feminine involvement in violent radicalism, it outlines how the phenomenon is generally treated in the media and scholarly research, and shows the nuances to be gained from a postcolonial perspective on gender. The second section, containing the third and fourth chapters, deals more precisely with women’s involvement today in radical Islamism and certain jihadist groups. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature on radicalization leading to violence from a gender perspective, the third chapter (4.1) offers a status report on what is known internationally about women’s involvement in radicalization leading to violence. Pointing out the strengths and limitations of existing knowledge, the literature review suggests the theoretical and empirical contributions that feminist research can make to this subject. The fourth and last chapter (4.2) presents a description and analysis of the radical involvement of Québec women in Islamism. Based on unpublished empirical data from a field study conducted in Québec, this chapter draws connections between the empirical reality in Québec and the theoretical elements discussed earlier, for a better understanding of why some Québec women have wanted to join jihadist groups in Syria.