Understanding racism and radicalisation: a challenge for us all Professor Linden West Canterbury Christ Church University GAN November 17th, 2016

Introduction Hopelessness and hope A hope: ‘Learning Democracy’ in Thanet/East London; hopelessness in Stoke, the BNP, Islamophobia and Islamic fundamentalism. Growing concerns about racism, radicalisation, multi-culturalism, representative democracy; Brexit and Trump; enter 2 spaces, of racism and radicalisation Auto/biographical narrative research (50+ people), and an interdisciplinary, ‘psychosocial’ imperative; a theory of recognition

A distressed city 240,000 (320,000) people A place once ‘generating wealth for the whole society’ (Justin Welby); Rapid deindustrialisation, mining, steel making and pottery in steep decline in the 1980s; a ‘neglected’ post-industrial city Migration: 9000 ‘Muslim’ and other people from Pakistan and Kashmir, 1960s onwards, to low skill jobs Decline of working class self-help institutions, Individualism and the privatisation of responsibility; unemployment across generations; high levels of mental distress (1 in 3 families) Low levels of education attainment Dysfunctional politics and solipsistic communities

Stories from an estate: Carol and the ‘caring’ BNP 2008 the BNP take 3 council seats; representative democracy hollowed out; the fire at an Asian shop, gangs and druggies The crises of young males and stigmatisation (Sillitoe to ‘chavs’); recognition and the attraction of racist gangs/the EDL Mental health issues: Carol’s story, a husband dead, depression; the Asian shop ‘keeping your head in a bucket’; feelings of hopelessness,‘…..the BNP really cared’…. The asylum seeker as threatening other ‘Lamp-post by lamp-post’, and the good sewing group

Raafe, radicalisation and recognition Disrespect: Islamophobia and taxi driving (notions of intuitive justice violated in the everyday): the fire bombing of a mosque Lost economic and cultural worlds; fractures across the generations, and crises of identity among young Muslim men Bosnia, a turning point; Mosques, crises of authority Raafe’s radicalisation: self-recognition in prison; self-respect in a caring role with young people; and self-esteem via ‘divine’ purpose in Hizb ut-Tahrir (or Liberation Party) (حزب التحرير); Closed groups: narrative pedagogy; purity, projection/stigmatisation, and mis/recognition of the other and self

Understanding racism and radicalisation: more hopelessness for now The Prevent/Challenge Strategy: ‘a misplaced deference to multi-culturalism’; troubling tales from Staffordshire University, schools and beyond? Brexit and hate crime, and Jalal Uddin The imaginative absence of universities (?). And the struggle against Islamophobia: Is it going backwards? (Goodwin)