Sebastian Kurtenbach: In the project "Radicalizing Spaces," we investigate whether and how space has an effect on susceptibility to radicalization. We are starting from the observation that there has been an increase in departures to the so-called Islamic State from some districts of large cities, and that the number of people in the Salafist scene has increased. These are preliminary observations that must have certain reasons, otherwise these spatial clusters would not occur. In the project "Radicalizing Spaces," we want to investigate whether and how there is a contextual effect on susceptibility to radicalization and what we can do about it from a spatial perspective.
Andreas Zick: So we are asking which spaces harbor potential for radicalization. At the same time, we want to find out what it means for local people that there are radicals and extremists in their neighborhood and in the space that is important to them. What does this mean for their life satisfaction, but also for their identity? We already know that people identify with spaces. Looking at the interactions between ideological motivation, group dynamics, and environmental factors, it seems essential to us to explore the role of space.
Sebastian Kurtenbach: Our research can be divided into smaller subprojects. Led by the University of Bielefeld, we are conducting an ethnographic study focusing on three neighborhoods in different cities. A researcher from our team will be living in each of them for one year. The goal is to get a sense of how the Salafist or neo-Salafist scene based in each neighborhood is perceived. That is, we want to find out what interactions there are with the rest of the city's society.
To this end, we have three other subprojects running at Münster University of Applied Sciences. One is concerned with social work practice. Since we are primarily looking at neighborhoods characterized by poverty, we can find a lot of services of municipal social policy there as well. We assume that this local work also has a preventive effect. It is interesting for us to see what we can learn from these strategies.
We also want to do population surveys to measure vulnerability to radicalization. Again, we assume that spatial factors produce openness to radicalization or extremist ideas. At Münster University of Applied Sciences, we are also investigating what local authorities in Germany are already doing to prevent extremism.
Andreas Zick: Radicalization processes, just like manifestations of extremism, protests, and attacks, take place in specific spaces. We argue that it is always specific spaces that extremists use: They are peripheral spaces in cities. We have observed that groups occupy spaces and that certain spaces are attractive for them to recruit others, for radicalization processes and for mobilization. This is not true for all spaces, because sometimes groups will also leave spaces again.
We know from the major terrorist attacks in Europe that certain extremist milieus create spaces themselves. This shows that extremist groups - just like all others - need a certain environment in which they can live and nestle, in which they can develop their ideology, gain encouragement and support, and continue to grow unobserved. In Germany, we know this from the so-called Sauerland Group, a terrorist group which, although quite inconspicuous, was religiously motivated - visible from their clothing - and carried out a very large attack in a village in the Sauerland region.
Andreas Zick: We are very broad-minded in this respect. For example, we study interaction processes in public places between religiously motivated extremist people and local groups. In this context, space has a geographical meaning for us. But we always view it in a somewhat socio-geographical, and, on the other hand, in a socio-psychological sense. So we ask: To what extent is a location something that is objectively given, but also has a meaning for radicalization processes? The bridge for this is created by a social-scientific comprehension. It is the geographical spaces, however, that shape identity and self-esteem, or they do not.
Andreas Zick: Our hypothesis is that religiously motivated extremist groups use spaces very specifically to recruit others. Those are spaces inhabited by people who have newly arrived to a country and where they are looking for help. So, in the course of our research, we want to examine whether spaces are niches in which radicalization processes can take place precisely because they offer safe havens to people who are susceptible to radicalization.
For example, this could include places around mosques. We know from radicalization research that mobilization for religiously motivated extremism does not take place in mosques directly, but perhaps just outside them. All of these are specific seeking movements in recruitment, in mobilization, but also in providing a home. In other words, this is where very objective spaces are created, where people are told: This is where you can come and worship freely.
Sebastian Kurtenbach: We hope to better understand whether space has an effect on vulnerability to radicalization and what that effect might be. Once we figure that out, we can devote attention to the question of which prevention policies would need to be organized in the neighborhoods. So we also want to find out what prevention needs to look like on the ground, before something happens and after something happens.
For example, I worked as a social worker in Dinslaken-Lohberg. There, these perspectives became particularly clear: Dinslaken-Lohberg is a district that has become notorious because young people there have joined the IS. This was picked up by the media and continues to burden the community today. In retrospect, much can be explained by the radicalization of the young people. But the question for us is: What do you do with the district afterwards? How are the people there? How do you deal with that as a community?
Andreas Zick: In this way, our project aims to contribute to the professionalization of social work. This means that future social workers should be able to better recognize the importance of spaces and better understand the dynamics of radicalization. Spaces can then be designed on this basis. For me, there is also the highly interesting question of where resilient spaces are already located and what they look like. In particular, we are talking about spaces where people who are actually attractive candidates for extremist groups do not let themselves be recruited.