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TRED and CARE teams translate the lab’s empirical research into evidence-based tools for communities, educators, parents, faith leaders, coaches, mental health counselors, and more.
With generous funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, PERIL has codified its qualitative comparisons of German/USA COVID responses among teachers and social workers into a full on report. This research examined how the pandemic affected educators’ and social workers’ ability to monitor and respond to the increased risk of potential radicalization, comparing the contexts and responses between Germany and America.
PERIL researchers found a number of German resources that helped prepare specific groups (activists-citizens, small business owners, local government officials) understand the threat of violent extremism, and prepare for any encounters they may have with these extremists. These resources were then translated into English and adapted to the US context. PERIL is empirically testing these resources to measure its effectiveness in equipping teachers and social workers in America with the knowledge and skills to confront and combat extremism in their specific environment.
As part of a year-long initiative funded by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, three members of PERIL joined a residency program on social cohesion along with 12 other fellows from across the world. During an intense two-month period in Berlin and in months of virtual meetings, this group of scholars, artists, activists, and journalists came together to debate and inspire new ideas on social cohesion. The fellowship includes a month-long intensive residency in Berlin, where scholars, artists, activists, and journalists come together to work on projects relating to social cohesion as a strategy for countering polarization and societal division.
With support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, several PERIL members visited Berlin, Germany in summer 2022. This work is part of PERIL’s ongoing efforts to create global dialogue around shared challenges related to polarization, extremism, social cohesion, inclusion, and prevention of violence.
The study tour focused on learning from Germany’s “defensive democracy” approach to countering extremism, which is rooted in the argument that to effectively combat propaganda from the fringe, we have to equip the mainstream with the tools to recognize and reject supremacist thinking, persuasive rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and hateful propaganda. The team met with a range of organizations that support victims of antisemitism, racism, and right-wing extremism or that work within the “mobile advisory” network of regional specialists who offer training, assessments, and referrals. Other events included a public-facing presentation/talk and field visits to memorial and education sites to better understand the teaching of hard histories and how Germans navigate the post-Holocaust era. This intensive time in Germany bolstered partnerships and support for cross-national and trans-Atlantic dialogue and exchange about shared challenges related to democracy, civic education, anti-racism and anti-supremacism, and the prevention of violent extremism.
Together with Oslo’s Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX), PERIL hosts this monthly series on the methods and ethics of researching the extreme right. With our expert guests, we discuss the ethical, political, personal, practical, methodological, and professional challenges of researching far-right parties, protest movements, and violence. Past topics and guests have included Online Extremism and Terrorism Research Ethics (with Dr. Maura Conway), What Can We Learn from Interviewing “Formers”? (with Dr. Tore Bjørgo and Dr. Ryan Scrivens), Risks of Researching the Right Wing Extremism: How the Far Right Threatens Scholars (with Dr. Sarah De Lange and Dr. Adrienne Massanari), and From Demonization to Normalization: Reflecting on Far-Right Research (with Dr. Aurelien Mondon and Dr. Aaron Winter). Webinars are usually held on the first Thursday of the month. To view the webinars, click here.
Extremely is a podcast on how to intervene in cases of hate and extremism. Hosted by Oren Segal, Anti-Defamation League’s Vice President of the Center on Extremism, and supported by ADL and American University. Episodes feature expert analysis on current national and global threats, as well as the best methods for intervention.