Professor Stuart Macdonald is the co-editor of a new book which examines the debates now shaping counter-extremism, tech policy, and AI governance.
Routledge Handbook of Online Violent Extremism, edited by Professor Macdonald and fellow academics Suraj Lakhani, Julian Droogan, and Lydia Khalil, aims to be a resource for academics, students, policymakers, and practitioners working across terrorism studies, technology policy, and platform governance.
Professor Macdonald, from the School of Law, said: “Online violent extremism is a specialised and rapidly growing field of study. It can raise complex practical and ethical questions, which are often difficult for those new to the field to navigate.
“I wanted to help produce a comprehensive resource that brings together not only the latest scholarship on online violent extremist groups and the spaces they exploit, but also offers practical methodological and ethical advice and guidance to researchers and students alike.
“The handbook is predominantly a product of the VOX-Pol Network, a global network of more than 100 researchers working on online extremism, which is hosted at Swansea University. The book showcases the breadth and depth of the expertise within VOX-Pol, and of the role that Swansea is playing in setting the research agenda and building capacity in this sub-discipline.”
The editors say the book comes as the evolution of online violent extremism has led to the foundation of the newly emerging academic field - online violent extremism studies – which sits at the intersection of terrorism studies, computer science, law, sociology, and criminology.
The handbook’s topics include contested definitions of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation online, the effectiveness and limits of platform regulation and content moderation, and the evidence behind claims of algorithmic radicalisation. It also covers ecofascism, incel and manosphere communities, and the gendered dynamics of online radicalisation and women’s participation in extremism.
Professor Andrew Silke, Chair in Criminology at Royal Holloway, said: “An absolutely stellar line-up of contributors has come together here to provide a wide-ranging and utterly comprehensive volume on online violent extremism. The result is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding and responding to this growing, critically important issue.”
Described by another critic as an indispensable resource, Routledge Handbook of Online Violent Extremism is available in hardback and ebook and can be preordered now.