Lorne Dawson

Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Lorne Dawson

PhD (McMaster)
MA (McMaster)
BA Honours (Queen's)

Research and teaching areas

Research:

  • Terrorism
  • Radicalization
  • New Religious Movements
  • Sociology of Religion

Teaching areas:

  • Terrorism
  • Sociology of Religion
  • Sociological Theory

Biographic statement

Dr. Dawson is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religious Studies and the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies. He served as the Chair of both departments. He has published three books, six edited books, and 98 academic articles and book chapters. Until 2008 most of his research was in the sociology of religion, in particular the study of new religious movements. Since then, the primary research focus has been terrorism, in particular the process of radicalization leading to violence. He co-founded and co-director of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS, 2012-2023), operating with funds competitively awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Public Safety Canada, and Defence Research and Development Canada. Over his career Dr. Dawson made numerous invited presentations to a wide variety of government, academic, and public groups and was interviewed by the media frequently. He has been involved in the supervision of over thirty PhD students.

  • Outstanding Performance Award (University of Waterloo): 2005, 2007, 2012
  • Biography in Canadian Who's Who: 2000-present

Selected publications

Summary:

  • 3 books
  • 6 edited books
  • 56 articles
  • 42 chapters
  • 5 research reports

Books:

  • Rik Peels and Lorne L. Dawson, eds., Explaining Extreme Belief and Behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2026).
  • Jeremy Littlewood, Lorne L. Dawson, SaraThompson, eds., Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (2020).
  • Paul Bramadat and Lorne L. Dawson, eds., Religious Radicalization and Securitization in Canada and Beyond. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (2014).
  • Lorne L. Dawson and Joel Thiessen, The Sociology of Religion: A Canadian Perspective. Toronto: Oxford University Press (2014).
  • Lorne L. Dawson, Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements. Second Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press (2006).
  • Lorne L. Dawson and Douglas E. Cowan, eds., Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet. New York: Routledge (2004).

Recent Articles & Book Chapters:

  • Cristina De Leo, Katherine M. Ford, and Lorne L. Dawson, “Using Conversion Theory to Explain Western Jihadi Terrorist Radicalization: Case Studies of Mohammed Bouyeri and Mohammad Momin Khawaja,” Terrorism and Political Violence, advance online publication 05 Jan. 2026, https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2025.2591421
  • Nima Karimi and Lorne L. Dawson, “Religious Redemption as the Motivation for the Jihadist Crime-Terrorism Nexus: A Critical Inquiry.” Terrorism and Political Violence, 37 (7), 2025: 999-1014, https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2025.2494087
  • Lorne L. Dawson, Amir Rostami, Hernan Mondani, Shandon Harris-Hogan, and Amarnath Amarasingam, “A Comparative Analysis of Canadian and Swedish Foreign Fighters,” Special Issue: Violent Extremism in the Hinterland of the ‘War on Terror’: Comparative Studies of Canada and Sweden. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression 17 (2), 2025: 141-163, https://doi.org/10.1080/19434472.2024.2333954
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Is Religious Terrorism More Dangerous? What Have We Learned and How Does it Matter?” Perspectives on Terrorism, 28 (3), 2024: 57-79, https://pt.icct.nl/article/religious-terrorism-more-dangerous-what-have-we-learned-and-how-does-it-matter
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Insights from the Study of New Religious Movements into the Process of Radicalization,” Joel Busher, Leena Malki and Sarah Marsden, eds., Routledge Handbook on Radicalization and Countering Radicalization. London: Routledge, 2024: 132-149 .
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Religion, Radicalisation and Violence: Conceptual and Interpretive Issues,” in Hisham Hellyer and Michele Grossman, eds, Rethinking Religion and Radicalisation: Terrorism and Violence Twenty Years After 9/11, London: Bloomsbury Press 2024: 17-39.; .
  • James Khalil and Lorne L. Dawson, “Understanding Involvement in Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Theoretical Integration through the ABC Model,” Terrorism and Political Violence, first online version published 28 Mar 2023.
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Olivier Roy and the ‘Islamization of Radicalism’: Overview and Critique of a Theory of Western Homegrown Jihadist Radicalization,” Journal of Deradicalization Spring 2022, 30: 81-115, file:///C:/Users/ldawson/Downloads/575-Article%20Text-1673-1-10-20220324%20(1).pdf

  • Shandon Harris-Hogan, Amarnath Amarasingam, and Lorne L. Dawson, “A Comparative Analysis of Australian and Canadian Foreign Fighters Traveling to Syria and Iraq,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, first version published online 17 Jan., 2022: 1-31. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2021.2024943?casa_token=4U3ZtXDMrXcAAAAA%3ApKBHlrv0URCZMs3OG9Y2Y8_ikUYoddWT-h-18ptP8QWHAoahQIq5nYvO9QO807YcMIx_pieClAJi 

  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Granting Efficacy to the Religious Motives of Terrorists, A Reply to Schuurman’s Response to ‘Bringing Religiosity Back In, Parts I & II,’” Perspectives on Terrorism 15(6) 2021: 90-96.

  • Lorne L. Dawson and Amarnath Amarasingam, “Homegrown Terrorist Radicalization: The Toronto 18 in Comparative Perspective,” in Michael Nesbitt, Kent Roach, and David Hofmann, eds., The Toronto 18 Terrorism Trials. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Law Review 44(1), 2021:1-33 (released as an Edited volume as well).
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “The Social Ecology Model of Homegrown Jihadist Radicalisation,” in Akil N. Awan and James R. Lewis, eds., Radicalisation in Comparative Perspective. London & New York: Hurst & Oxford University Press, 2023: 33-56..
  • David A. Jones and Lorne L. Dawson, “Re-Examining the Explanations of Convert Radicalization in Salafi-Jihadist Terrorism with Evidence from Canada,” Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, first online version published 18 May,  2021, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19434472.2021.1919911?src= 
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “A Comparative Analysis of Data on Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq: Who Went and Why?” Research Report, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, The Hague, 56 pages (10 Feb., 2021), http://icct.nl/app/uploads/2021/02/Dawson-Comparative-Analysis-FINAL-1.pdf
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Bringing Religiosity Back In: Critical Reflection on the Explanation of Western Homegrown Religious Terrorism (Part I),” Perspectives on Terrorism 15 (1) 2021: 2-16, https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2021/issue-1/dawson.pdf
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Bringing Religiosity Back In: Critical Reflection on the Explanation of Western Homegrown Religious Terrorism (Part II),” Perspectives on Terrorism 15 (2) 2021: 1-21. https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2021/issue-2/dawson.pdf
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Terror and Violence” in Robert Segal and Nickolas P. Roubekas, eds., Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion (2nd ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2021: 440-450.
  • Shandon Harris-Hogan, Lorne L. Dawson, and Amarnath Amarasingam, “A Comparative Analysis of the Nature and Evolution of the Domestic Jihadist Threat to Australia and Canada (2000-2020),” Perspectives on Terrorism 14 (5), 2020: 77-102. https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2020/issue-5/harris-horgan-et-al.pdf
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Taking Terrorist Accounts of their Motivations Seriously: An Exploration of the Hermeneutics of Suspicion,” Perspectives on Terrorism  13 (5), 2019: 65-80.
  • Lorne L. Dawson and Amarnath Amarasingam, “Canadian Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq, 2012-2016,” in Jeremy Littlewood, Lorne L. Dawson, and Sara Thompson, eds., Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020.
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Debating the Role of Religion in the Motivation of Religious Terrorism,” Nordic Journal of Religion and Society 31 (2), 2018: 98-117.
  • Deven Parekh, Amarnath Amarasingam, Lorne Dawson, Derek Ruths, “Studying Jihadists on Social Media: A Critique of Data Collection Methodologies,” Perspectives on Terrorism 12 (3), 2018: 5-23.
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “The Demise of the Islamic State and the Fate of its Western Foreign Fighters: Six Things to Consider,” The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, Policy Brief No. 9. 2018. DOI: 10.19165/2018.02.04. Available at: http://icct.nl/publication/the-demise-of-the-islamic-state-and-the-fate-of-its-western-foreign-fighters-six-things-to-consider/
  • James R. Lewis and Lorne L. Dawson, “Introduction: Religion and Terrorism,” Special Issue of Numen Vol. 65, No. 2-3, 2018: 117 - 124.
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Challenging the Curious Erasure of Religion from the Study of Religious Terrorism,” Numen Vol. 65, No. 2-3, 2018:141-164.
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Sketch of a Social Ecology Model for Explaining Homegrown Terrorist Radicalisation”, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague 8, no.1 (2017), http://icct.nl/publication/sketch-of-a-social-ecology-model-for-explaining-homegrown-terrorist-radicalisation/
  • Lorne L. Dawson, “Discounting Religion in the Explanation of Homegrown Terrorism: A Critique,” in James R. Lewis, ed., Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 32-45, 2017.

Research Funding

Total Research Funding 2012 -2021: $5,492,560.00

2021-2023, Canadian-Swedish Research Collaboration on Organized Violent Threats, Contract with Defence Research and Development Canada, $600,000.

2019-2021, The Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society, Major Research Grant, “Understanding Canadians Involved in Jihadist Terrorism: A Comparative Study with Australia” (co-PIs Lorne L. Dawson and Shandon Harris-Hogan), $39,976.

2017-2020, Community Resilience Fund, Public Safety Canada, “Testing the Reliability, Validity and Equity of Terrorism Risk Assessment Tools,”(Co-PIs: Paul Gill, University College London; Lorne L. Dawson, University of Waterloo; David Hofmann, University of New Brunswick) $563, 552.

2017-2019 Community Resilience Fund, Public Safety Canada, “Foreign Fighter Radicalization: Advanced Primary Data Acquisition and Analysis,” (PI; collaborators: Dr. Amarnath Amarasingam, George Washington University Program on Extremism and Dr. Derek Ruths, Computer Science McGill University) $256,950.

2016-2018, SSHRC, Subventions de développement de partenariat – Fonds d’innovation sociale destine aux communautés et aux collèges, “Les intégrismes religieux et la radicalisation au Canada: vulgarisation et education populaire,” (PI Martin Geoffroy; one of three Co-Researchers) $240,000.

2015-2022, SSHRC, Partnership Grant, "Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society," (Co-PI with Dan Hiebert, University of British Columbia) $2,150,000.

2014, Public Safety Canada, Kanishka Contribution Agreement Competition, "Canadian Research Network on Terrorism, Security and Society" (with Dan Hiebert, University of British Columbia and Martin Bouchard, Simon Fraser University), $240,000.

2014, Canada Safety and Security Program, Defense Research and Development Canada (with Dan Hiebert, University of British Columbia, and Martin Bouchard, Simon Fraser University), $580,000.