PhD Fellow Terrorism and Political Violence Leiden University
The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs is looking for a
PhD fellow in its research group Terrorism and Political Violence.
The PhD fellow to develop a research project on the interplay between reality and fantasy in terrorism and political violence to contribute to our teaching portfolio in our bachelor and master programmes.
The intermingling of fact and fiction is a recurring feature of radicalized individuals and movements. Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik fantasized being the leader of a ‘Knights Templar’ resistance movement. The racist and violent fantasy of white resistance in the face of multiculturalist oppression described in the novel The Turner Diaries has inspired some of the deadliest acts of right-wing terrorism in recent history. Fantasy and myth are also being used to create new shared realities outside of right-wing extremist movements, including radical animal-rights groups, conspiracy movements (e.g. ‘red pilling’) and jihadist terrorists.
