Mirjam de Bruijn - Biographies of Radicalization

The French version of this book was published by
Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group (RPCIG).

ISBN 978-3-11-062009-2
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-062362-8
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-062021-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018963886

Bibliografic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliografic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.

2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Cover image: Fulani youth, members of Ganda Izo, a self-defence group, at their base in Ll-Hoye in the Gourma near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger. Boukary Sangare, 2014.
Title image of Part I: Dakar, Senegal, Youth centre; art of remembering. Sjoerd Sijsma, 2017.
Title image of Part II: Douentza, Central Mali, Jihadist occupation, 2012. Boukary Sangare, 2013.
Title image of Part III: V4T-Rencontre@Dakar, Senegal. Sjoerd Sijsma, 2017.

www.degruyter.com

This book is the product of the combined efforts of several individuals and entities. First of all, it would not have seen the light of day without the help of Voice4Thought (V4T). Indeed, this organization tries to give voice to all those who, in one way or another, usually go unheard. I am also very indebted to Vincent Roza, representative of the Netherlands in the Sahel, who found in the activities of V4T an alternative to the conference models so well known in the academic world and among decision makers. The V4T meetings in Dakar, described in Chapter 16 of this book, were quite an experience for us and for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This book is part of that experience. We would like to show an alternative to the debates around radicalization in the Sahel by presenting various cases from Central Africa, West Africa, and the Netherlands. This book presents not only the voices of many young people, but also those of alternative interpretations. Radicalization is not just destructive; indeed, the actors of radicalization are often young people who want, above all, to be listened to.

This is therefore the place to thank all the authors who joined us in the realization of this book. Thank you for your willingness to share your ideas and research. My special thanks also go to Eefje Gilbert from V4T, Sjoerd Sijsma for the beautiful photographs, our partners in Africaincluding G Hip Hop, CRASH (Centre for Research in Anthropology and Human Sciences)and certainly also to the NWO (De Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek), who funded part of the research through the Connecting in Times of Duress research programme (www.connecting-in-times-of-duress.nl). This programme formed the basis for some of the chapters of the book. I also wish to thank the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which financed the book project as well as the project of the rencontres in Dakar.

Moussa Fofana and Ruadhan Hayes provided the translations. They also helped me in interpreting the texts and searching for good titles.

Thank you, all! Together we will contribute to a better understanding of our world.

Mirjam

Utrecht
10 April 2018

Mirjam de Bruijn

Mlanie se sent aime. Elle se sent utile.
Elle cherchait un sens sa vie: elle la trouv.

This is the concluding remark of the preface to a book based on an intimate and personal story of young people who join the Islamic State. These kinds of books, often based on journalistic encounters, are an increasing genre. Their goal is to arrive at a better understanding of the motivation of these youth. It has become an important question in our modern world, where no region is exempt from terrorist attacks by radicalized groups. The opening quotation refers to a key element that is difficult to capture with scientific research: it hints at the search for identity. Apparently the environments in which the youth have to carve out a living push them into this search/quest. What is this environment, and how does it impact the lives of these youth? Is the search for identity really religious? Or can we find another cause? Is their search also violent only, or can we discover other elements?