Territoriality of Radical Islamist Groups - JPM971

• Title: Territoriality of Radical Islamist Groups
• Guaranteed by: Department of Political Science (23-KP)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2021
• Semester: winter
• E-Credits: 4
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/0, C [HT]
• Capacity: 15 / unknown (30)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Bohumil Doboš, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Mgr. Bohumil Doboš, Ph.D.
• Class: Courses for incoming students

Annotation

Last update: Mgr. Bohumil Doboš, Ph.D. (08.04.2021)

The aim of the course is to present the territorial dimension of the radical Islamist groups around the world. Territorial control is in the 21st century mainly tied to the institution of the state. Still, in many parts of the world, non-state actors are able to control or be significantly present on the territory as well. Radical Islamist groups present an ideologically coherent and very visible set of violent non-state actors. This allows for a cross-regional analysis of the possible territorial settings of the non-state actors that is based on this sub-set. The course will present students with a possible way of analysing actors' territoriality and applying it to the radical Islamist groups to present different territorial settings worldwide.

Course completion requirements

Last update: Mgr. Bohumil Doboš, Ph.D. (08.04.2021)

Active participation and discussion – 50%

Final essay (3 – 4.000 words) – 50%

Literature

Last update: Mgr. Bohumil Doboš, Ph.D. (13.04.2021)

Available in Moodle.

Basic recommended literature includes:

 

Ahmad, A. Jihad & Co.: Black Markets and Islamist Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2017).

Akinola, O. – Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria: Between Islamic Fundamentalism, Politics, and Poverty. African Security 8/1 (2015).

Azani, E. – The Hybrid Terrorist Organization: Hezbollah as a Case Study. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 36/11 (2013).

Boeke, S. – Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Terrorism, insurgency, or organized crime? Small Wars and Insurgencies 27/5 (2016).

Byman, D. Al Qaeda, The Islamic State, and The Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2015).

Doboš, B., M. Riegl - Between the Hammer and the Anvil: Limits on Territoriality of Daesh Affiliates. Civil Wars (2021).

Doboš, B., M. Riegl and J. Landovský – Territoriality of Radical Islamist Groups: Security, Economy and Identity. Abingdon: Routledge (2021).

Hansen, S. J. – Horn, Sahel, and Rift: Fault-Lines of the African Jihad. London: Hurst Publishers (2018).

Jackson, R. H. and C. G. Rosberg – Why Africa's Weak States Persist: The Empirical and the Juridical in Statehood, World Politics 35/1(1982).

Kadercan, B. – Territorial Logic of the Islamic State: an interdisciplinary approach. Territory, Politics, Governance (2019).

Morier-Genoud, E. – The jihadist insurgency in Mozambique: origins, nature and beginning, Journal of Eastern African Studies 14/3 (2020).

Sack, R. D. – Human Territoriality: A Theory. Annals of the Association of American Geography 73/1 (1983).

Solomon, H. – Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Africa: Fighting Insurgency from Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine and Boko Haram (2014).

Terpstra, N. – Rebel governance, rebel legitimacy, and external intervention: assessing three phases of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Small Wars and Insurgencies 31/6 (2020).

Varin, C. and D. Abubakar – Violent Non-State Actors in Africa: Terrorists, Rebels and Warlords. London: Palgrave Macmillan (2017).

Zenn, J. – Boko Haram's Factional Feuds: Internal Extremism and External Interventions. Terrorism and Political Violence (2019).

Syllabus

Last update: Mgr. Bohumil Doboš, Ph.D. (29.04.2021)

1)    Introduction

2)    Typology of violent non-state actors

What are the violent non-state actors, how can we divide among them, problems with categorization of radical Islamist movements

3)    Territoriality

What territoriality and territory means, connection between territoriality and state, territoriality and non-state actors, evolution of political map

4)    How to measure territoriality?

Role of geography, demography and infrastructure, measurement through security/economy/identity

5)    Territoriality of the global projects

Al-Qaeda and Daesh

6)    Islamism, nationalism and territory

Hezbollah, Hamas, Taliban

7)    Islamism, organized crime and territory

Western Sahel and the Philippines

8)    Islamism, state failure and territory

Al-Shabaab and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham

9)    Islamism, harsh geography and territory

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Islamic State in Greater Sahara, Islamic State in Libya

10) Islamism, divided societies and territory

Boko Haram and Ansar al-Sunna (Mozambique)

11) Limits to territoriality of radical Islamist groups

Affiliates of Daesh

12) Seminar - setting up an Islamist protostate