Wehrlos gegen Salafismus im Netz? Chancen und Grenzen von Gegennarrativen

Abstract

Within the framework of extremism prevention and the development of deradicalization programs, but also in science, politics and in the context of civil society, so-called “counter-narratives” are increasingly given an important role. While prevention actors are increasingly working with counter-narratives and are developing model projects, research on counternarratives remains relatively scarce and its impact has so far been underexplored. In addition, critical perspectives on counter-narratives that fear a sovereignty of interpretation are on the rise. The article provides an empirical insight into counter-narratives from Salafist profiles in the social network Facebook. It emphasizes the potential of counter-narratives to prevent extremism, but at the same time pleads for a reflected use of them. Furthermore, the authors emphasize that the use of counter-narratives is only one aspect of prevention work and should therefore not be understood as the sole remedy.