How Do Terrorist Groups Learn and Unlearn Violence?

It is very difficult to learn something new if you haven’t unlearned what you have done before. In this video, CAROLIN GÖRZIG shows how we can better understand and influence the processes by which terrorist groups learn and unlearn violence. Drawing on insights provided by the deradicalization of organizations like the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army), and with fieldwork ongoing in territories including Kyrgyzstan and Syria, Görzig argues that particular combinations of pressure, recognition and communication can provide the external impetus for a terrorist group’s unlearning of violence. Seeking to build interdisciplinary links with psychology, sociology and communication science, Görzig’s project is also looking to expand its focus to further topics including right-wing extremism.