Citation

Ratelle JF, Souleimanov EA. Terrorism Polit. Violence 2017; 29(4): 573-592.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09546553.2015.1005076

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article posits that the remnants of archaic sociocultural norms, particularly the honour-imposed custom of retaliation, play a crucial role in the process of insurgent engagement in Russia's autonomous republic of Dagestan. Through a series of interviews with former insurgents, this study outlines two retaliation-centred mechanisms: "individual retaliation" and "spiritual retaliation" in order to explain the microcosm of motives behind insurgent activity in Dagestan. In doing so, this study problematizes the role of Salafi/Jihadist ideology as the main impetus for insurgent violence. Reversing the traditional causal link between violence and religion, this study also demonstrates that the development of Jihadist ideology is a by-product of insurgent mobilization rather than its cause.

Language: en