Description
With the release of Netflix’s Adolescence and the growing popularity of misogynistic influencers such as Andrew Tate, the past year has seen growing concern in UK policymaking and parliamentary circles about the radicalisation of young men and boys online. Such narratives are not new however; fairytales about children venturing into the dark forest and being enticed by adults with malign intentions have been part of the collective cultural imaginary for centuries. Bringing insights from literary studies and narratology into political science, this paper employs Alexander Spencer’s (2016) narrative analysis method to examine narratives of online youth radicalisation in UK counterterrorism policy and parliamentary debates. Focusing on the three elements of setting, characterisation and emplotment, this paper argues that fairytale narratives of the vulnerable child and wicked witch or wolf influence our understanding of modern-day youth radicalisation. This dominant narrative marginalises other stories, in which older males are also radicalised, radicalisation takes place offline as well as offline and young people have agency and digital literacy.
