Pagina dettaglio corso numero uno

John F. Morrison’s article “Individual and contextual factors leading to engagement with paramilitary republican groups”, published on the European Journal of Criminology, investigates which individuals, both during the Troubles and in contemporary Northern Ireland, are most likely to join republican paramilitary groups. To this end, the author analysed fifty-three interviews with community leaders and former paramilitaries from Belfast, adopting an abductive approach that combines social learning theories with the General Strain Theory of Terrorism (GSTT).  

Four key themes emerge from the data: the collective memory of injustice and violence that permeates local communities; the impact of socio-economic hardship, which fuels feelings of exclusion; the role of family traditions, which in some cases steer individuals toward militancy, contrasted with personal vulnerability, which can make recruitment easier; and finally the deep territorial rootedness that often prevents individuals from distancing themselves from contexts in which paramilitary groups continue to exert significant influence. 

For more information about the article, click here.