Postgraduate Dissertation


Gendered Terrorism: Radicalisation of Western Women in Islamic State

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how the gendered recruitment of IS advances the radicalisation process of Western women (those that originate from Europe, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) to support violent extremism. The objectives of this research are: to explore the feminist critique on current theories of radicalisation and terrorism; to investigate the IS terrorist organisation as a case study; to identify the motivating factors that directly link to radicalisation of women in IS; and to investigate women’s agency in the political violence relative to their supportive roles in Islamist violent extremism. This study presents first the background about the issue of women’s radicalisation and then introduces the theoretical framework. This research then provides a background of the case study about the IS particularly on the radicalisation of women to support violent extremism of the Islamic State. The case study reveals that the motivations of women who take part in the IS campaign considerably vary. This research suggests an effective gendered approach that will recognise women’s agency, their varying motivations, and the complex roles they play in the IS operations.


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Authors

Nacional, Caroline Jhoy R.

Contributors

Rights Holders: Nacional, Caroline Jhoy R.
Supervisors: Steenkamp, Christina Johanna

Oxford Brookes departments

Department of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Degree programme

MA International Security

Year

2020


© Nacional, Caroline Jhoy R.
Published by Oxford Brookes University
All rights reserved

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