Creating “Invited” Spaces for Counter-Radicalization and Counter-Extremism Education

ABSTRACT

In this article we present an articulation of how “invited spaces” can foster inclusive and authentic participation and public discourse on issues related to extremism and radicalization. Conversations on these issues that are of crucial importance to the general public are usually held in closed spaces or in spaces that are set up by those in power. Subsequently, we present an account of Symposia on Teaching About Extremism, Terror, and Trauma (TETT), as a transformative invited space in which conversations around extremism, terrorism, radicalization, and counter-radicalization took place with an aim for interchange of ideas between various stakeholders (public, policy makers, researchers, community-based organization [CBOs], nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], and students). We briefly report some of the salient conversations and the questions that come out of these conversations at TETT 2016. Finally, we make an attempt to answer one of these questions: What kind of pedagogy is needed to counter extremism and radicalization?

Notes

¹ Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies.

² Centre de Prevention de la Radicalisation menant a la violence, Montreal.

³ Midaynta Community Services, Toronto.

⁴ Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiations, Ottawa.

⁵ Global Citizenship Education, Edmonton, Alberta.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adeela Arshad-Ayaz

Adeela Arshad-Ayaz, is Assistant Professor of Educational Studies at the Department of Education, Concordia University. She obtained her Ph.D. from McGill University. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of social justice particularly teaching about extremism and terror; sociology of technology with special focus on hate speech, violence, extremism and radicalization in online environments; responsible citizenship; international development and globalization. She is the Co-convenor and co-chair for the Annual International Symposium on Teaching about Extremism, Terror, and Trauma http://www.tett.ca/. As a part of her research project for Public Safety Canada, she made a documentary about the rise of hate speech in social media. . In the summer of 2017, she is organizing the First International Summer Institute on Counter Extremism and De-radicalization pedagogy, which will particularly focus on developing deliverables that will be used in various educational settings. Her research on radicalization and counter extremism pedagogy has been featured in leading newspapers including Le Devoir.

M. Ayaz Naseem

M. Ayaz Naseem is an Associate Professor at the Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in comparative and international education from McGill University. His research interests include peace education, social media, counter-radicalization and counter-extremism education, and citizenship education. Dr. Naseem also held the First Georg Arnhold Research Professorship on Educating for Sustainable Peace at the prestigious Georg Eckert Institute in Braunschweig, Germany, 2013-2014. Dr. Naseem has published widely including 5 books and over fifty articles and book chapters. Two edited volumes are set to appear in 2017. He has also taught at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan in the departments of International Relations and Defense & Strategic Studies.