Background: Countering polarization, extremism and radicalization
The overarching objective of PARTICIPATION is to identify future perspectives and trends of polarisation, extremism and radicalisation as well as the social composition of the group at risk in Europe by a participatory and provisional methodological strategy, that permits to co-create with social actors, stakeholders and policy-makers effective strategies for prevention. In the following 36 months PARTICIPATION will implement:
- Multidimensional modelling to understand current and future trends of extremism, polarisation and radicalisation.
- Communication dynamics: an analysis of extremism, polarisation and radicalisation online dynamics by ICT tools and to co-create with the involvement of civil society strategies to contrast and prevent these phenomena.
- Co-creation fieldwork: to analyse and generate with the involvement of the social actors in different social spheres, strategies of contrasting polarisation, extremism and radicalisation.
- Tools to develop methodologies and policy recommendations: for improving the action of policymakers also based the previous field-work.
Idea and Consortium
The PARTICIPATION project follows a top-down approach which is necessary for research and preventive design. Therefore, it uses an approach to consider vulnerable people as protagonists of the research process and as producers of knowledge about themselves, including the ways and strategies to prevent extremism and radicalisation. Thus, it uses a mixed method combining qualitative and quantitative data, which is a basic methodological way to capture the full complexity of processes at micro, meso and macro levels. This is combined with an action research approach based on open discussion groups and traffic between researchers, stakeholders, practitioners and social actors.
The PARTICIPATION project will be realized by a consortium of fifteen partners from eleven different countries with knowledge and expertise in diverse areas to work on the project with a multi-disciplinary approach.
The consortium comprises experts in security, preventing extremism, radicalization and polarization and is coordinated by Università degli Studi “Roma Tre”
Project objectives
Within a period of 36 months, PARTICIPATE aims to successfully disseminate the project’s outcomes and fulfil the project objectives:
- DEFINE new research methods based on participatory fieldwork and a mixed-method approach;
- IDENTIFY future perspectives and trends of hate speech, extremism and radicalization;
- DEVELOP innovative communicative tools, educational approaches and community-based strategies;
- IMPROVE the awareness of young people and communities;
- COLLECT data and develop a set of indicators;
- DEVELOP policy recommendations with the participation of researchers, stakeholders, practitioners and social actors.
Links
Website: https://participation-in.eu/the-project/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParticipH2020/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParticipH2020
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/participation-h2020/
Keywords
Extremism, Prevention, Radicalisation, Empowerment, Violence, Polarisation, Jihad