The project

CONNEKT (Contexts of Violent Extremism in MENA and Balkan Societies) is a Horizon 2020 EU-funded research project that explores the drivers of radicalisation and violent extremism among young people aged from 12 to 30 in eight countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco, North Macedonia, and Tunisia.

The project will map and establish interrelationships and specific significance of seven potential drivers within three different levels of analysis.

7 drivers
of analysis

Religion

Digitalisation

Economic deprivation

Territorial inequalities

Transnational dynamics

Socio-political demands

Educational, cultural and leisure opportunities

Religion

  • Is religion a driving factor of violent extremism with greater relevance than other colliding factors?
  • Does religious education have a role in preventing violent extremism?
  • Do youngsters identify with existing religious leaderships?

Digitalisation

  • Is the digital context an overwhelming channel for violent extremism in the MENA region and the Balkans?
  • Are social media and internet narratives relevant to explain radicalisation processes?

Economic deprivation

  • What is the weight of poverty and marginalisation as driving factors?
  • To what extent could violent extremists exploit conditions of poverty?

Territorial inequalities

  • Do territorial inequalities produce collective grievances that can intersect with other identity or ideological dimensions?

Transnational dynamics

  • How did globalisation and transnational movements impact politics and society?
  • Are perceptions about foreign policy a driver of violent extremism?
  • What is the role of new family patterns and diffuse social relations in the context of the transnational nature of radical groups?
  • What is the role of family, ethnic, religious, political and criminal networks?

Socio-political demands

  • What is the impact of the political context in the process of radicalisation?
  • To what extent do democracy, good governance, rule of law and political inclusion have a role in shaping perceptions and expectations as drivers of radicalisation?

Educational, cultural and leisure opportunities.

  • To what extent do the lack of cultural, educational and leisure opportunities have a role in driving radicalisation?

On 3 different levels

Global - state

Community

Individual

Is religion a driving factor of violent extremism with greater relevance than other colliding factors?
Does religious education have a role in preventing violent extremism?
Do youngsters identify with existing religious leaderships?

Is the digital context an overwhelming channel for violent extremism in the MENA region and the Balkans?
Are social media and internet narratives relevant to explain radicalisation processes?

What is the weight of poverty and marginalisation as driving factors?
To what extent could violent extremists exploit conditions of poverty?

Do territorial inequalities produce collective grievances that can intersect with other identity or ideological dimensions?

How did globalisation and transnational movements impact politics and society?
Are perceptions about foreign policy a driver of violent extremism?
What is the role of new family patterns and diffuse social relations in the context of the transnational nature of radical groups?
What is the role of family, ethnic, religious, political and criminal networks?

What is the impact of the political context in the process of radicalisation?
To what extent do democracy, good governance, rule of law and political inclusion have a role in shaping perceptions and expectations as drivers of radicalisation?

To what extent do the lack of cultural, educational and leisure opportunities have a role in driving radicalisation?

Methodology 

The research relies on qualitative, quantitative and empirical fieldwork to build a consistent and comprehensive picture of the phenomenon. Gender, youth and social perceptions and expectations are cross-cutting lines of analysis throughout the research and intervention stages.

The research will be conducted through interviews, surveys, focus groups, seminars and roundtables in each of the countries under study and at a transnational level.

It will also have a participatory dimension with the Skopje Youth Forum and the Tarragona Women’s Forum. These activities, designed with an innovative and dynamic methodology, seek to engage youths in the creation of prevention measures and enhance the role of women, particularly in preventing violent extremism.

More than 60 publications will be produced, including reports by country on approaches to violent extremism and on potential drivers of radicalisation according to the three levels of analysis, which will provide a mapping of the factors leading to violent extremism and will result in policy papers to translate the conclusions to the political and institutional spheres.

The engagement of civil society actors, youngsters and particularly women in the second stage of the research will allow the project to focus on the grassroots creation of strategies and initiatives to prevent radicalisation and violent extremism at a community level of interest to local authorities. Finally, the results will be used to formulate recommendations on prevention strategies for the European Union.

What for?

CONNEKT will allow youths to be a strong voice not only as a subject of study but also as stakeholders in the response. The fieldwork research and dynamics explored will shed light on the specific challenges affecting them. By engaging young people in the discussion, design and implementation processes, their views and knowledge will contribute to the quality and appropriation of results.

Its objectives are: 

  • Increasing knowledge about violent extremism from an interdisciplinary approach.
  • Mutual learning between EU and third countries by escalating academic research to pilot social intervention.
  • Mapping past and current country strategies and approaches towards radicalisation and violent extremism in Europe, the MENA region and the Balkans.
  • Drawing a comprehensive picture of radicalisation drivers among youths in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco, North Macedonia, and Tunisia.
  • Establishing a cartography of conductive collective contexts of radicalisation and violent extremism in the MENA region and the Balkans involving diverse stakeholders.
  • Identifying measures, strategies and policies at state, community, local and society level to prevent radicalisation and violent extremism in the eight target countries.
  • Implementing pilot experiences of context intervention in target countries in liaison with local authorities and civil society actors.
  • Transferring results and recommendations to multilevel policy-makers in target countries and to the EU.

Ethics

CONNEKT is assisted by Rhizome, an external ethics advisor specialised in Horizon 2020 research projects.