Loneliness and Radicalization

In this article we investigate experiences of loneliness in radicalization processes. The main aim is to develop an empirically grounded theory of loneliness in contemporary forms of radicalization. Starting from Hannah Arendt’s political theory, which posits loneliness as a breeding ground for terror, the analysis extends to a critical phenomenological approach that takes the viewpoint of subjective experience while asking how these experiences are embedded in specific social structures in contemporary societies. The article thus bridges the gap between theoretical debates on (the politics of) loneliness and empirical research on processes of radicalization, extremism, and terrorism. We focus specifically on two sets of cases: lone-actor terrorists and female Western affiliates of ISIS. Our analysis reveals that whereas in right-wing long-actor terrorists, the fear of one’s individual and collective extinction plays an important role, in the case of Islamist radicalization in Western countries, experiences of discrimination and marginalization are crucial.