Extremism & Violence
Extremism in political science denotes holding views which lie outside the norms and attitudes of the mainstream social consensus within a given society. In this way, the term is entirely contingent on the subjective, normative assumptions of a given political culture. Within a contemporary liberal democracy, for instance, extremism concerns views and ideological beliefs which advocate a fundamental change to the political system, challenging either the democratic principles upon which such a society is founded, or the liberal values concerning human rights and the rule of law which stem from this commitment.
In this context, violence can become the means through which extremists seek to pursue their ideological project – particularly in systems in which power is unevenly distributed, or where processes of political representation fail otherwise fail to address their views. Non-violent extremism, on the other hand, seeks to re-orient society around new values, shifting the political consensus towards their extremist position.
The Path-to-Power team’s research concerns, within democratic settings, the connection between extremist political rhetoric and the growth of extra-legal and vigilante violence towards marginalised groups, particularly as enflamed by hateful rhetoric online. Within non-democratic contexts, our research focuses on the use of the legal or rhetorical designation of certain groups as extremist, as a means to justify repression, or otherwise legitimise tightening authoritarian control.
