A new Book from our own Dr. Lorne Dawson

This volume takes a step back from the many specific explanations of extreme belief and behavior that we find in the literature on such phenomena as conspiracy theorizing, extremism, fanaticism, fundamentalism, and terrorism. It explores the very project of explaining extreme belief and behavior. The first part of the volume concerns various fundamental theoretical and contextual issues. What is the relationship between understanding and explaining extremism? What is it about extreme beliefs that challenges our capacity to explain them? What are the pitfalls of current approaches, and why are explanations so urgently needed? The second part then moves on to explore related methodological issues. What does providing an explanation entail? What are the desiderata for viable explanations—including what is the relationship between understanding and explaining, qualitative and quantitative data, macro-, meso-, and microlevels of analysis, first-person and third-person accounts, attitudes and behaviors, or beliefs and actions? The third part explores related empirical issues and challenges. How should we conceive and integrate insights into such related phenomena as the turn to extremism in a particular context (e.g., a country or historical circumstance, such as a conflict), the rise of extremist movements, and the turn to extremism by individuals? What conceptual, theoretical, and methodological resources are available or can be created?
Explaining Extreme Belief and Behavior: Theoretical, Methodological, and Ethical Challenges | Oxford Academic