Reassessing the Conceptual Elements of Islamic Radicalization: Theoretical Challenges and Research Trends

The radicalization phenomenon has captured the attention of the academic community, considering the need to understand its conceptual elements and to analyze the impact of the main causes that trigger the radicalization process. On the other hand, the rationale to elaborate on this article is that there is no unanimously accepted definition of radicalization at the academic level, and the causes that determine the radicalization process are explained reductively most of the time. Thus, what this article proposes is to review the specialized literature regarding the theoretical delimitations of radicalization, aiming for a definition as comprehensive as possible that would characterize in a holistic manner the process of Islamic radicalization. Also, another objective of the paper seeks to identify the challenges of the academic community regarding the conceptual elements of the phenomenon, using a methodology based on the confrontation of different theories through which the process of Islamic radicalization is explained.