Legitimization of extremist violence: The extent and salience of the ideological narrative in the Brenton Tarrant’s manifesto

In the early days of terrorism research, it was concluded that perpetrators of terrorist violence were either ‘evil’ or ill. In the past several decades, however, terrorism scholars have increasingly sought to understand terrorism from the perspective of the perpetrator. The current paper aims to explore this, by analysing the manifesto of Brenton Tarrant through the lens of Significance Quest Theory in order to determine whether an ‘ideological narrative’ emerged in the perpetrator’s manifesto and how salient it was in the legitimization of terrorist violence. Through the use of thematic analysis, the paper identified five themes related to the ideological narrative present in Tarrant’s manifesto: White decline, Environment, Xenophobia, Identity, and Us. Vs. Them. The paper found that whilst the ideological narrative was salient, it was accompanied by another driver, network. The findings have both scientific and real-world importance as it shines a significant light on the...Show moreIn the early days of terrorism research, it was concluded that perpetrators of terrorist violence were either ‘evil’ or ill. In the past several decades, however, terrorism scholars have increasingly sought to understand terrorism from the perspective of the perpetrator. The current paper aims to explore this, by analysing the manifesto of Brenton Tarrant through the lens of Significance Quest Theory in order to determine whether an ‘ideological narrative’ emerged in the perpetrator’s manifesto and how salient it was in the legitimization of terrorist violence. Through the use of thematic analysis, the paper identified five themes related to the ideological narrative present in Tarrant’s manifesto: White decline, Environment, Xenophobia, Identity, and Us. Vs. Them. The paper found that whilst the ideological narrative was salient, it was accompanied by another driver, network. The findings have both scientific and real-world importance as it shines a significant light on the influential role the narrative can play in justifying terrorism. Acknowledging this can lead to advantageous policy implications regarding the prevention, and counter-radicalization of individuals involved in highly accessible networks that spread violence-justifying narratives.Show less

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Legitimization of extremist violence: The extent and salience of the ideological narrative in the Brenton Tarrant’s manifesto