Lennox Series Lecture: “From Neo-Nazi to Jihadist: The Allure of Violent Extremist Propaganda Online” @TrinityU

Dr. Erin Saltman will present “From Neo-Nazi to Jihadist: The Allure of Violent Extremist Propaganda Online.” Saltman is a Senior Counter Extremism Researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), producing action-oriented research and developing projects on preventing and countering violent extremism (PVE and CVE) . Within ISD, Erin manages the Youth Civil Activism Network (YouthCAN), promoting youth activism in challenging hate speech and extremism, as well as the Women and Extremism Network (WaE), analyzing the radicalization of women into violent extremist networks, as well as the role women play in CVE. Recent publications include ‘Youth Innovation Labs: A Model for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism’ and ‘Till Martyrdom Do Us Part’: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon.

Having previously worked for the counter-extremism think tank, Quilliam, Erin co-authored reports Islamic State: The Changing Face of Modern Jihadism, as well as Jihad Trending: A Comprehensive Analysis of Online Extremism and How to Counter it. Prior experience includes contracted risk analyst work for various risk management companies as well as research work on larger international projects looking at subterranean politics, crisis discourse and international electoral psychology.

Erin completed her PhD in Political Science at SSEES at University College London (UCL). Her thesis focused on contemporary processes of post-communist political socialization and radicalization, looking at youth activism and partisanship development in Hungary. Her field research took her across Hungary, conducting interviews and focus groups with young activists. She also conducted participant observation research, attending a range of political party youth camps, including the far-right.

Prior to her doctoral research, Erin completed an International Masters in Economy, State and Society with a dual degree from UCL and Corvinus University in Budapest as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar. She holds a BA in International Relations from Columbia University as well as a concentration in Francophone studies, completing a directed research project at Sciences Po.

The lecture is free and open to the public.