Interviewing Jihadists : On the Importance of Drinking Tea and Other Methodological Considerations

• The field of terrorism research has arguably long been characterized by a separation of the scholars from their subject of inquiry. Interviews can be used to bridge this chasm, but making contact with potential interviewees, conducting interviews, and analyzing the data pose unique challenges when conducting research into jihadists, especially active ones. This article focuses on the author's experience of interviewing both former and active jihadi foreign fighters. It is specifically intended to contribute to a better methodological understanding of conducting first-hand empirical research into jihadi foreign fighters and builds on field work conducted in Sweden, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Foreign fighters

jihadists

research methods

interviews

ethnography

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)