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Abstract

As many as 230 people have been killed in terrorist attacks in France since the start of 2015. Although not the only country to have experienced Islamist terrorist attacks since 9/11, the specificities of the attacks of 2015-2016 makes it difficult to conclude that these assaults have not been tailored to strike right at the heart of France‟s national identity. The shortcutting of historical facts for “easy and inaccurate connections” has been dominating the analyses made by so-called “experts” as well as in media coverage of the attacks and their aftermath.
This study sets out to further investigate if there is something that makes France uniquely vulnerable; a specific target for terrorist attacks undertaken in the name of Islam. It aims to identify and explore the factors that enable us to understand the attacks as the result of a French specificity. It is also imperative to question the relationship of Islam and French Muslim citizens in relation to these events as they continue to be a common denominator between each attack.
This dissertation employs Marc Sageman‟s four-stage process radicalisation theory in combination with a Eurocentrist perspective and refers to literature from across a variety of academic fields. Through these combinations, it demonstrates a more comprehensive and complete understanding of the root causes stimulating the radicalisation process. It establishes that radicalisation is the key link between secularism, the political landscape and French security and intelligence that makes these attacks purposefully targeted at France.
This dissertation intends to contribute to the current discussion on the nature of the recent terror attacks in France.

Course: International Relations and European Studies - MA - C2281F

Date Deposited: 2019-11-25

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13515.html