Terrorism in Kenya and Uganda

Radicalization from a Political Socialization Perspective

By (author) Anneli Botha

Not available to order

Publication date:

02 November 2016

Length of book:

256 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498523325

This book analyzes some of the commonly accepted causes of radicalization within the context of four organizations in eastern Africa. It identifies and discusses the facilitating agents needed to enable radicalization and recruitment, and answers one of the most fundamental questions the public and scholars alike are confronted with: Why are all people confronted with the same external circumstances not being radicalized? Practitioners and policymakers will realize that although one can learn from the experiences of others, developing and implementing effective counter-radicalization strategies should be shaped around the unique circumstances of the specific organization.

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Introduction to Terrorism in Uganda
Chapter 3: Introduction to Terrorism in Kenya
Chapter 4: Individual Characteristics and Political Socialization
Chapter 5: Establishing a Political Identity
Chapter 6: Role of the Family and School as Political Socialization Agents
Chapter 7: Role of Peers, Groups and the Media as Political Socialization Agents
Chapter 8: The External Environment and Political Socialization and Radicalization
Chapter 9: Explaining Radicalization within the Political Socialization Framework
Chapter 10: Interpretive Overview

Two pressing questions inform this study: To what extent can political socialization explain the participation of individuals in terrorist organizations in Kenya and Uganda; and is there a difference in the applicable factors between the divergent ideological frameworks of the Allied Democratic Forces and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, and al-Shabaab and the Mombasa Republican Council in Kenya? Drawing on 285 interviews with members of these four organizations and the families of al-Shabaab members who had been killed or incarcerated, or who had disappeared in Kenya, Anneli Botha adds important and insightful perspectives to the existing knowledge base on the drivers underlying violent radicalization and terrorism in the eastern parts of the African continent.