| Title: | Trauma and the extremist life cycle : a study of former fighters in Lebanon |
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| Authors: | ID Mikulan, Janja (Author) |
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| Files: |  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19434472.2026.2681018
 Trauma_and_the_extremist_life_cycle_A_study_of_former_fighters_in_Lebanon_-_MIKULAN,_18_June_2026_(1).pdf (1007,80 KB)
MD5: FC36D112221FFA2B03396BCC6666DE93
Description: This study examines the role of trauma in the radicalization
journeys of former Salafi-Jihadist militants from Tripoli, Lebanon.
Utilizing life-history interviews with ten ex-militants and experts,
it explores how different forms of trauma interact across phases
of involvement, engagement, and disengagement. Findings
indicate that early adversity – including neglect, poverty, and
violence – disrupted identity formation, fostered insecurity and
desensitization, increasing susceptibility to recruitment. Social
traumas, such as the 2013 mosque bombings, further fuelled
collective victimhood and a desire for revenge, dignity, and
heroism. During the engagement, a combination of empowering
and traumatizing experiences led to symptoms of moral injury.
Finally, disengagement – often triggered by traumatic
imprisonment – rarely led to successful reintegration, leaving
respondents with complex PTSD, stigma, and marginalization.
Theoretically, this study positions trauma not as a peripheral
factor, but as a central mechanism that shapes involvement,
sustains engagement, and obstructs disengagement. It
demonstrates that radicalization functions both as a coping
strategy and an attempted identity reconstruction. Empirically, it
provides rare qualitative evidence from a Middle Eastern context.
Practically, the findings emphasize the need for trauma-informed
counter-extremism strategies that link individual healing with
community and structural interventions.
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| Language: | English |
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| Work type: | Unknown |
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| Typology: | 1.01 - Original Scientific Article |
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| Organization: | FUDS - School of advanced social studies
|
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| Abstract: | This study examines the role of trauma in the radicalization
journeys of former Salafi-Jihadist militants from Tripoli, Lebanon.
Utilizing life-history interviews with ten ex-militants and experts,
it explores how different forms of trauma interact across phases
of involvement, engagement, and disengagement. Findings
indicate that early adversity – including neglect, poverty, and
violence – disrupted identity formation, fostered insecurity and
desensitization, increasing susceptibility to recruitment. Social
traumas, such as the 2013 mosque bombings, further fuelled
collective victimhood and a desire for revenge, dignity, and
heroism. During the engagement, a combination of empowering
and traumatizing experiences led to symptoms of moral injury.
Finally, disengagement – often triggered by traumatic
imprisonment – rarely led to successful reintegration, leaving
respondents with complex PTSD, stigma, and marginalization.
Theoretically, this study positions trauma not as a peripheral
factor, but as a central mechanism that shapes involvement,
sustains engagement, and obstructs disengagement. It
demonstrates that radicalization functions both as a coping
strategy and an attempted identity reconstruction. Empirically, it
provides rare qualitative evidence from a Middle Eastern context.
Practically, the findings emphasize the need for trauma-informed
counter-extremism strategies that link individual healing with
community and structural interventions. |
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| Keywords: | travma, radikalizacija, nasilni ekstremizem, identiteta, salafizem-džihadizem, Libanon |
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| Publication status: | Published |
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| Publication version: | Version of Record |
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| Publication date: | 01.01.2026 |
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| Year of publishing: | 2026 |
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| Number of pages: | 34 str. |
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| Numbering: | Vol. , iss. |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/ReVIS-14118  |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 282026499 |
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| UDC: | 159.9 |
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| ISSN on article: | 1943-4480 |
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| DOI: | 10.1080/19434472.2026.2681018 |
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| Copyright: | © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the
author(s) or with their consent. |
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| Note: | Nasl. z nasl. zaslona;
Opis vira z dne 18. 6. 2026;
|
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| Publication date in ReVIS: | 01.07.2026 |
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| Views: | 56 |
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| Downloads: | 0 |
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