Citation

Edgerton J. Soc. Netw. 2022; 70: 36-54.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.socnet.2021.10.005

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Previous research has attributed the motivations of suicide bombers to religious fervor, political engagement, and organizational strategic goals, among others. However, the processes underlying suicide bomber mobilization may also be related to primary and secondary socialization through family and peer network ties. To better understand the association between kin and peer ties and suicide bomber mobilization, I use a data set of 2923 individual fighter-level observations of combatants for the Islamic State. These data include individual demographic data and if a combatant volunteered to be a suicide bomber. Through these data, I assess ideational, material, and the social origins of suicide bomber mobilization. I find that a one unit increase in kin or peer network ties is positively associated with a combatant's odds of volunteering to be a suicide bomber. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide terrorism; Socialization; Mobilization; Norm diffusion