14 November: Understanding Violent Extremism
On 14 November, WIPSS hosts Prof. Ian Linden, St. Maryâs University, London, and formerly Director of Catholic Institute of International Relations (CIIR) in the UK, the developmental NGO and think-tank. Ian writes about his forthcoming seminar:
âWhat are the vulnerabilities to the lure of extremism? Is there an âextremist mindâ? How can an extremist change their mind? Based on recent work with men prone to violent extremism in Bosnia, I reflect on the sociology and psychology of religious extremism and what it might teach us about healthy religious development. This seminar tackles one of the most challenging questions in geopolitics today.â
Ian Linden is a visiting professor at St. Maryâs University, London, former professorial research associate at SOAS, University of London, and was for fifteen years Director of the Catholic Institute of International Relations (CIIR), the respected think-tank and developmental NGO. Trained as an historian, he has been Professor of African History at the University of Hamburg and is the author of the classic text, Church and Revolution in Rwanda (1977, Manchester University Press) and A New Map of the World (2003, Darton, Longman and Todd). He is an authority on conflict studies and active in Christian-Muslim relations and the mobilization of faith organizations in international development. Most recently, he has published Global Catholicism: Towards a Networked Church ( 2nd Edition 2012, Hurst). He has written for academic journals and leading newspapers like The Guardian for over forty years. For the last decade he has been involved in the psychology of the extremist mind and countering violent extremism, currently with a focus on the Balkans.
Tuesday 14 November, 1800-1900hrs, followed by discussion. In the Faculty of Arts Library, on the third floor of Old Humanities Building, at the end of the corridor next to Room 301. The stairs are in the corner of the quadrangle behind the Assembly Hall. Students are encouraged to attend. The public is cordially welcome.