A lot of interesting material in this post from @ajaltamimi, which is an internal discussion of (relative) "extremism" in IS. One interesting point that I've talked about in passing but increasingly think is worth a closer look:
aymennjawad.org/21757/an-inter…
aymennjawad.org/21757/an-inter…
One question I've been asked in terms of my definition of extremism is what happens to the definition if the out-group is eliminated. The answer is that the extremist movement starts carving new out-groups from the available in-groups.
What this suggests is that the dynamic of hostile exclusion is what defines an extremist movement, even more than the specific identities of who is part of its in-group or out-group. The framework will adapt to changing circumstances, even if it means cannibalizing the in-group.
This may seem obvious to some observers of extremist groups, but I think there's probably useful insight to be gained from a more in-depth study of this question. Can anyone recommend some existing literature looking at this?
