Extremism

Written by J. M. Berger

Narrated by Matthew Josdal

A rising tide of extremist movements threaten to destabilize civil societies around the globe. It has never been more important to understand extremism, yet the dictionary definition—a logical starting point in a search for understanding—tells us only that extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme." In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, J. M. Berger offers a nuanced introduction to extremist movements, explaining what extremism is, how extremist ideologies are constructed, and why extremism can escalate into violence.



Berger, an expert on extremist movements and terrorism, explains that extremism arises from a perception of "us versus them," intensified by the conviction that the success of "us" is inseparable from hostile acts against "them." Extremism differs from ordinary unpleasantness—run-of-the-mill hatred and racism—by its sweeping rationalization of an insistence on violence. Berger illustrates his argument with case studies and examples from around the world and throughout history, from the destruction of Carthage by the Romans—often called "the first genocide"—to the apocalyptic jihadism of Al Qaeda, America's new "alt-right," and the anti-Semitic conspiracy tract The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ascent Audio
• Release date: Mar 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781469072920

J. M. Berger

J. M. Berger is a nonresident fellow with the Brookings Institution and the author of Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam, a critically acclaimed history of the American jihadist movement. He is a regular contributor to Foreign Policy magazine and his website, Intelwire.com, has published thousands of declassified documents on the September 11 attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing.

Reviews for Extremism

[steve02476 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Short book attempting to define extremism, give a bit of history, and explain what extremists do. Extremism in this book is defined as the belief that an in-group’s success or survival can never be separated from the need for hostile action against an out-group. Of course, the concepts of in-groups and out-groups are gone into a lot. A little attention was given to the psychology of it all, but not nearly enough. Even though huge masses of people suffer in all sorts of ways only a few become extremists. Why? That’s what I’d like to know more about.

[pinebranch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This short book is exactly what I hoped it would be: a brief overview, some theory to move understanding beyond definition by example, some discussion of current thinking and issues, and a curated list of sources for further reading. I particularly appreciate the effort put into definitions and theoretical framing, which propose a path for moving beyond reflexive thinking about current threats.

Of course a book this small isn't comprehensive or the last word on anything. That's not its purpose. It is, however, an excellent starting point and shortcut to understanding a few key issues whose misunderstanding is at the root of many failed initiatives.