Social Exclusion in the Lives of Terrorists: An Empirical Analysis
June 29th, 2026
“Social Exclusion in the Lives of Terrorists: An Empirical Analysis” is a recent study published in The British Journal of Criminology and authored by Michaela Pfundmair, Ralf Pachurka, Philipp Späth, and Tom Witiska. Published online in May 2026, the article provides one of the first systematic empirical examinations of the role of social exclusion in pathways toward terrorism.
Drawing on three complementary studies, including interviews with terrorism experts, analyses of terrorist biographies based on newspaper reports, and reviews of judicial decisions, the authors investigate whether experiences of exclusion occur more frequently in the lives of individuals involved in terrorism. Their findings reveal that social exclusion is a recurring and cumulative feature of terrorist biographies, lending empirical support to long-standing theories linking marginalization and radicalization.
The study further identifies important differences between ideological pathways. Right-wing terrorists were more likely to have experienced personal forms of exclusion, such as social rejection and lack of peer-group belonging, whereas religiously motivated terrorists more frequently exhibited grievance-based exclusion associated with sociocultural marginalization and previous non-extremist criminal experiences.
By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, the article advances understanding of the social and psychological dynamics of radicalization and highlights the importance of addressing exclusion and social integration as part of broader efforts to prevent violent extremism.
For more information about the article, click here.