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Jihadism from a Subcultural Perspective

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Abstract

Current trends in Western jihadism point to the renewed relevance of subcultural theory. This article outlines a novel subcultural perspective that synthesizes subcultural theory with recent accounts of intersectionality and argues that such an approach enables an understanding of jihadism as a collective and cultural response to a shared experience of marginalization and othering. In addition, this theoretical perspective offers a framework for comprehending the processes of bricolage central to subcultural collective creativity. This article illustrates this potential by analyzing examples of jihadi rap. Such analyses represent important contributions to studies of the broader cultural and social ecology of jihadi subculture.

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Notes

  1. By “radical groups and their supporters,” we mean informal and vaguely defined groups, who may not be involved directly in jihadi terrorism and political violence, but who may be sympathetic towards it, support it, and/or be attracted or fascinated by it.

  2. Broadly defined, Salafism denotes a traditional and orthodox interpretation of Islam.

  3. A British intelligence report mentions 23,000 supporters of radical Islamism in Britain (O’Neill et al. 2017), and a survey conducted by the Swedish paper, Göteborgs-Posten, found that more than 10% of young people in some marginalized residential areas support ISIS (Verdicchio 2016). While these numbers cannot be equated with jihadi subculture, they do indicate that the amount or percentage of Muslims who support radical groups is considerable.

  4. By “style,” we mean the aesthetic symbolism of jihadi groups and their supporters, defined broadly and including, but not limited to, argot, demeanor and style of clothing. See Hebdige (1979) for a thorough treatment of “style” as a central element of subcultures.

  5. A Black religious, cultural and political movement founded in 1964 in Harlem, the district or neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, and grounded in an unorthodox interpretation of Islam.

  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWZd088e2Lg.

  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBGUFzGnsII.

  8. This translates as: Migrate. Migrate. Uzbekistan. Afghanistan. We are fighting in Khorasan. Allah is greater! Allah is greater! Inshallah! Inshallah! We’re fighting. Fallen martyrs. The enemy is in our gaze. In the name of God. God is greater! God is greater!

  9. https://audiomack.com/album/trapspotsyria/straight-outta-syria.

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Acknowledgements

This article is part of a project on young people and radicalization processes at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, funded by Aalborg University’s Talent Management Programme. We would like to thank our colleague, Annick Prieur, for comments on an earlier draft of the article. All URLs were active at the time of writing.

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  1. Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Fibigerstræde 13, Room 80, 9220, Aalborg East, Denmark

    Jeppe Fuglsang Larsen

  2. Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Fibigerstræde 13, Room 73, 9220, Aalborg East, Denmark

    Sune Qvotrup Jensen

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Larsen, J.F., Jensen, S.Q. Jihadism from a Subcultural Perspective. Crit Crim 27, 421–436 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-019-09470-8

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