Creating “Invited” Spaces for Counter-Radicalization and Counter-Extremism Education

Abstract

In this article we present an articulation of how “invited spaces” can foster inclusive and authentic participation and public discourse on issues related to extremism and radicalization. Conversations on these issues that are of crucial importance to the general public are usually held in closed spaces or in spaces that are set up by those in power. Subsequently, we present an account of Symposia on Teaching About Extremism, Terror, and Trauma (TETT), as a transformative invited space in which conversations around extremism, terrorism, radicalization, and counter-radicalization took place with an aim for interchange of ideas between various stakeholders (public, policy makers, researchers, community-based organization [CBOs], nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], and students). We briefly report some of the salient conversations and the questions that come out of these conversations at TETT 2016. Finally, we make an attempt to answer one of these questions: What kind of pedagogy is needed to counter extremism and radicalization?