| ID | 112880 |
| Title Proper | Mentoring in relation to violent extremism |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Spalek, Basia ; Davies, Lynn |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article presents the key findings of an evaluation of a mentoring scheme being implemented for individuals deemed vulnerable to violent extremism in the West Midlands region in the United Kingdom. The key findings of this study are, firstly, that mentoring around violent extremism carries distinctive features, and can be distinguished from mentoring in other areas of criminal behavior or in drug/alcohol use. Secondly, there is ongoing debate around what the purposes of mentoring are; crystallizing around the key question of whether mentoring in the area of violent extremism is about changing beliefs or changing behavior, or both; therefore, how to measure success? The article examines the different theoretical fields in relation to de-radicalization, disengagement, desistance, and debiasing in order to situate the article's findings in a broader body of work. This article also links individual mentoring to the notion of community, for it is important to consider the individual who is being mentored in relation to the broader set of communities that they belong to or associate with. Here, it is stressed that in the United Kingdom there are significant tensions between approaches that emphasize community cohesion, and those that emphasze liberal freedoms associated with liberal democracy, particularly in relation to Al Qaeda-linked extremism. |
| `In' analytical Note | Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Vol. 35, No.5; May 2012: p.354-368 |
| Journal Source | Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Vol. 35, No.5; May 2012: p.354-368 |
| Key Words | Violent Extremism ; United Kingdom ; Al Qaeda ; Extremism |