Author: Glenn de la Vieter

Interview Transcription: Provo Movement

Partial transcript translated from Dutch:

Interviewer: From what I have read and researched, it seems like anarchism, and especially the Provo movement, have had an impact on Dutch society in the 60’s and 70’s. When I say the word ‘Provo’, what comes to mind?

Interviewee: Well I know that my own parent have told me about their influence on tv because of the VPRO (broadcasting company) which dealt with themes like: the sexual revolution, thinking more critically about religion, freedom of listening to any music, freedom have having any hairstyle, and the decrease in churchgoers.

The Netherlands used to have strict religious communities which for example would not allow my parents to see each other in the mid 50’s. A few years later it was okay for my aunt and uncle to see each other whilst my Grandma was a reformed Christian (later son in law was not). They could even go on vacation with each other even though they were not yet married. I think the Provo’s were one element in society which contributed to this change. My mother is still angry because she did not get the same treatment as my aunt.

Interviewer: So do you think this movement helped the Netherlands to break with pillarization?

Interviewee: I think so, not directly, but it did play a part. I think it is more of a combination of wealth increase, increased education, breaking with the established rules, even from Vietnam as well, technological advancements, et cetera.

Interviewer: Did the protests by the Provo’s have a lasting effect on Dutch society you would say?

Interviewee: Yes, not only the Provo’s, but also people that sympathised with them and other movements. Students, ‘Nozems’ and ‘Dolle Mina’ (movements).

Interviewer: What do you think their actions? Were they necessary?

Interviewee: I do think so myself. Every now and then soup needs to be stirred up so it does not become hard and inedible (a saying).

Interviewer: So you think “stirring” is necessary once in a while?

Interviewee: Yes absolutely, I also think that a politician such as Wilders, though I do not agree with him, is necessary to keep the rest sharp. Everyone needs to be heard, left and right. Revolutions are also necessary to change, revolutions will never stop happening.

Interviewer: That sounds like quite an Anarchist thing to say?

Interviewee: *laughs* Yes it does.

Interviewer: So you do kind of sympathise with the previously discussed movements?

Interviewee: In a way, I am in favour of free will and freedom of speech. It is in human nature; we make rules regarding traffic lights and how you should cross the street and how we should behave in traffic but people still cut each other off in traffic and run a red light. People do not know any better.

I think revolutions and people that are anti-establishment will always exist. Other parts of the World like Africa and India will see more of this. I also think Iran will see such a change in the next 10-20 years, I think their youth will become very anti-establishment. It is like a volcano, you know that it will erupt but you do not know exactly when.

Reflection:

Before I started this interview I imagined it to go more in the direction of Anarchism and Provo’s in the Netherlands itself. I discovered however that it is very easy to get side tracked. In a large part of the interview the broader themes of Anarchism and revolution were discussed. This is however because I found the answers and shared ideas of the interviewee to be quite interesting and relevant. The person being interviewed was my father, I thought it was a good way to find out how anarchist movements in the Netherlands might have made an impact on a person which was a child during the 60’s. Throughout the interview it seems like the interviewee is aware of the changes that this time and its movements brought with them, and he finds these changes to be positive. He also thinks these kinds movements and changes are necessary and will spread elsewhere in the future. Further examples he gave are not included in this transcript, I thought the part of the interview which I transcribed and translated was of most value concerning the topic of anarchism.

Knowledge Transfer Plan

Product:

The planned product form to transfer knowledge will involve the creation of a film which will focus on radicalisation within Dutch society. It will portray a realistic story which involves parts of Dutch society in which radicalisation is present. The film will deal with two stories, that of a young boy who is subjected to the rise in radicalisation in his surroundings (could be family, close friends, neighbourhood) and the story of a public worker who has to deal with such cases. These two individuals will meet and interact throughout the film. The film will have to show most elements which are present in this contemporary problem (peer pressure for instance) and will show how realistic such a situation can be in the present. It being a film, which is meant for a broad audience, will also have to be entertaining. The message however, has to be clear and shown to the public as a serious issue.

Partners:

Partners in such a project could be young film students who want to work on a project which could be realised without being too ambitious. To help realise the film, individuals from communities in which radicalisation is present could also provide information on how this has its effects in present society. Of course, contact with such individuals must be made cautiously, for this might possibly endanger them. Netflix can be a platform which might want to show such a film, although such a film might be too controversial. The funds for a film like this are relatively low, it is however essential to have a good budget. This budget could be acquired through crowdfunding if presented to the public on the Internet (for example: Kickstarter). This would even allow for international funding or perhaps big donators.

Market:   

The film is meant for everyone who is interested in the process of radicalisation within western society. It is meant to show how this process works in certain layers of society and that it is happening in contemporary times. Elements which will be shown in the film will make it clear that this process has many ‘human’ sides to it, which make it tangible for people who do not understand how this process works. Essentially, the film is intended mostly for the people that do not fully understand why and how radicalisation works within western societies.

Steps:

1: Contact possible publishers and people with experience in the film industry with a pitch.

2: Build up funds for the film.

3: Compose a team of people who will write and help realise the project and all its practicalities.

4: Create the film itself.

5: Advertise

6: Publish the film (Netflix?)

7: Continue to contribute to the debate.

Preliminary Research Design

Dutch Radicalisation Research: Useful or Problematic?

Introduction:

“Since 2004, the term ‘radicalisation’ has become central to terrorism studies and counter-terrorism policy-making. As US and European governments have focused on stemming ‘home-grown’ Islamist political violence, the concept of radicalisation has become the master signifier of the late ‘war on terror’ and provided a new lens through which to view Muslim minorities.”    

This is a quote from a British political writer named Arun Kundnani, in which he states that western governments have shifted their focus in terms of radicalisation over the last 14 years. Research in to the field of radicalisation today focusses on Muslims within the western country in which this research is done. Why is this the case? Governments obviously see ‘home-grown’ radicalisation as a threat to national security and want to find out how to counter it. But what can the way in which this research is conducted and the results that it has had thus far tell us about the governments themselves? Is it at all helpful to conduct this kind of research? It appears that these types of research often do not lead to a satisfactory conclusion as they often refer to statistics that do not point to a clear radical profile.

Research question:

When it comes to radicalisation and governmental research that does not lead to satisfactory conclusions, one can ask questions regarding the use of these types of research and perhaps the dangers that accompany it. To formulate a possible research question concerning this topic that is more viable, it can be useful to look at a single western government and how this government deals with the research of radicalisation. For this research the Netherlands might be a country which can be interesting as a case study. To formulate a research question; “Is governmental research concerning radicalisation in the Netherlands useful in its current state?”

Historiography:

Since 2012, Islamist radicalisation within countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium has led to the departure of citizens of these countries to areas of conflict such as Syria and Iraq. These developments have been closely monitored and studied by intelligence agencies such as the Dutch AIVD and magazines such as Magazine: Nationale Veiligheid en Crisisbeheersing. They have identified phases which have an effect on radicalisation among individuals in the Netherlands. Phases mentioned are; self-identification (association with a fundamentalist role model), us-them thinking, social interaction (isolation e.g. not attending school anymore), individual characteristics (strong emotions that might not have been there before regarding certain topics), association with an extremist group (attending events that are associated with an extremist group). These are elements which intelligence agencies look out for when monitoring society in an attempt to identify possible threats. To acquire a clearer view on the matter, intelligence agencies also try to chart all the statistics surrounding radicalisation in terms of age, income, gender, family. However, most of these studies do not supply a satisfactory answer to what creates a Muslim extremist and possible danger. Arun Kundnami is a political writer who addresses problems regarding research on radicalism and his works offer a fresh insight in to the whole ordeal of possible dangers concerning research on Muslim radicals within western countries. According to Kundnami, certain types of research into radicalisation tend to create a sense of othering by creating so called ‘suspect communities’ and this might spark further islamophobia, or on the flipside, further radicalisation.  

The AIVD has focussed their attention on Salafism in the Netherlands. According to this intelligence agency there is ‘active re-education’ in progress concerning Islamic beliefs within the Netherlands. This ‘moral re-education’ is focussed on Sunni communities in Dutch mosques, as there seems to be a rise in the influence by young Salafist individuals who strive to change the existing Sunni norms within these mosques. According to the AIVD, violence has been used on multiple occasions to achieve certain goals. The AIVD pays close attention to vulnerable groups in society that might be easily influenced by this type of incluence. Children and refugees are the main two groups that are considered to be vulnerable to Salafist ideas, as they are in need of education and want to engage in group activities which (under Salafist influence) might seclude them from the rest of Dutch society and makes them more easily manipulated. The AIVD sees it as their duty to reduce national threats towards Dutch society that might stem from Salafism. To do so, the agency closely monitors mosques and individuals that encounter Salafist ideas.

Many research papers have been written over the years concerning not only the groups that are at risk of radicalising, but also how to possibly deal with these groups. Certain research papers encourage Dutch citizens to not problematise the situation and to not generalise Muslims. Support for diversity is also encouraged to lessen the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims.  However, within the same papers there is evidence of the notion of othering within society on both sides. One report by the Dutch police academy states that notions of ‘enmity and hate’ towards Dutch society within the so called ‘suspect communities’ are increasing. Not only are these notions applicable to the stance of Salafism towards Dutch society, but also their stance towards other Muslims as they are also subject to enmity and hate. By labelling ‘suspect communities’ in which Salafist ideas are present, there is also a risk of creating ‘others’ within society and these ‘others’ can use that notion for their own benefit, which is something that the Dutch government does not want to happen.

The whole matter is thus very difficult and a definite answer on how to deal with the circumstances at play has not been found yet. The way in which the Dutch government deals with radicalisation is conducted with the goal of maintaining and increasing the well-being of society as a whole, but it might have negative effects that should be researched as well.  


Justification of sources and methods:

To research this topic, most sources used are research papers concerning the radicalisation of Dutch society, many of which are written by government agencies. As mentioned before, an inspiration on the topic of whether radicalisation research is problematic is Arun Kundnani. I have formulated a research question following his concerns and will be applying his views on the Dutch case. The sources listed below will be researched with his views in mind and I will have to determine if the research regarding radicalisation is useful in its current state.

 

 

 

Zotero bibliography

Rousselle, Duane, and Süreyyya Evren, eds. Post-Anarchism. Pluto Press, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183pb1v.

WILLIAMS, LEONARD. “Hakim Bey and Ontological Anarchism.” Journal for the Study of Radicalism 4, no. 2 (2010): 109–37.

Springer, Simon, ed. “A Brief Genealogy of Anarchist Geographies.” In The Anarchist Roots of Geography, 25–42. Toward Spatial Emancipation. University of Minnesota Press, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctt1d2qzw1.4.

Novak, D. “The Place of Anarchism in the History of Political Thought.” The Review of Politics 20, no. 3 (1958): 307–29.

MARTIN, REX. “ANARCHISM AND SKEPTICISM.” Nomos 19 (1978): 115–29.

Gabriel, Elun. “The Left Liberal Critique of Anarchism in Imperial Germany.” German Studies Review 33, no. 2 (2010): 331–50.

Woodcock, George. Anarchism. University of Toronto Press, 2004. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctt2ttv2t.

Poma, Alice, and Tommaso Gravante. “Beyond the State and Capitalism: The Current Anarchist Movement in Italy.” Journal for the Study of Radicalism 11, no. 1 (2017): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.14321/jstudradi.11.1.0001.

LIDTKE, VERNON L. Outlawed Party. Princeton University Press, 1966. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183pnfd.

Laughlin, Jim Mac. Kropotkin and the Anarchist Intellectual Tradition. Pluto Press, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19qgdvc.

Quantitative Research

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When researching certain topics it can be of value to use quantitative data as hard numbers. One should however be careful with such data as there might be a possibility that the data is fabricated or altered. For this quantitative research assignment, I have looked at a document written by the AIVD concerning Dutch citizens that have travelled to Syria or Iraq in order to join the jihad. It also shows the amount of people that returned and events which can be linked to rises in the number of people travelling to the aforementioned countries. The graph provides a useful brief overview of the situation over the years. The graph tells shows that the amount of travelers over time is somewhat linear in most researched numbers, however the coalition airstrikes seemed to have had an affect on the line which specifies ‘returned’. The AIVD as a source of information can be considered viable when it comes to information like this as the intelligence agency has many records on individual cases of Dutch jihad travelers. The specific absolute numbers depicted by these lines are however not readable from the graph, which means that the rest of the piece should be taken in to order to get a more clear view on the numbers.