Past Events

Graphic and extreme violence content is becoming increasingly visible and accessible across the internet, driven by platform algorithms, niche online communities, and the rapid sharing of unmoderated material. Despite this growth, research and professional training in this space remains limited, leaving many practitioners underprepared to understand, respond to, or support young people exposed to such…

The Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews is hosting a major event in June 2026 on  the Histories of Terrorism conference on 23 June. Given the upturn in historical scholarship on terrorism, the conference will be an opportunity to discuss how to better articulate the specificity…

The second of two online panels from the Terrorism and Political Violence Next Generation Network, organised by the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews. The series brings together early career researchers working at the cutting edge of research on terrorism and political violence. — 📅…

The first of two online panels from the Terrorism and Political Violence Next Generation Network, organised by the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews. The series brings together early career researchers working at the cutting edge of research on terrorism and political violence. — 📅…

In this talk, Professor Gavrielides will share insights from his work on restorative justice, which opens up new possibilities to address the challenges facing current models for preventing and controlling violent radicalisation and extremism. Gavrielides taps into the combined strengths of restorative justice, positive criminology, and positive psychology to set out a new model for prevention and control of…

Public violence, including mass public shootings and terrorist attacks, accounts for a very small fraction of overall homicide, yet it produces an outsized psychological and social impact, reshaping how people experience public space, safety, and one another. The radius of psychological injury far exceeds that of physical harm. Research shows that warning signs are often…

This session will discuss the findings of a recent project funded by the Scottish Council on Global Affairs (SCGA) which examined the needs and priorities of researchers, policymakers and practitioners working on issues relating to counter-terrorism (CT) and countering violent extremism (CVE) in Scotland. Drawing on a review of relevant literature and a small-scale survey…

The University of Southampton’s Centre for Criminology in the Digital Age is Excited to Convene an Event Dedicated to Supporting the Next Generation of Researchers Working at the Cutting Edge of Sensitive, Ethically Complex Research. This Session Brings Together Leading Research Centres and Networks Committed to Fostering Community, Sharing Resources, and Strengthening Ethical Practice Across…

Tufyal will analyse how UK counter-terrorism has expanded to address extreme violence that falls outside established definitions of terrorism. Focusing on the 2024 Southport killings, it examines the Prevent programme’s shift from targeting ideological extremism to managing individuals characterised by fragmented beliefs, personal grievance, or fascination with violence. Drawing on Prevent referral data and recent…

Research evidence shows that terrorist actors often ‘leak’ their intent towards planning and carrying out terrorist violence to those close to them – partners, family members or close friends (Gill et al, 2014), just as perpetrators of other types of mass targeted violence, such as ‘school shooters’, do. These ‘intimate bystanders’ are thus often the…

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into digital spaces has reshaped the landscape of terrorism and extremism research. This talk explores the opportunities and challenges of applying data science, machine learning, and generative AI within the field. It offers an overview of conventional data science approaches alongside newer generative techniques, and considers how social science methods can…

What happens when hate speech becomes so routine in a cultural space that it’s treated as unremarkable background noise? This talk examines how digital gaming environments have normalized extreme hate speech (particularly misogyny) to the point where it is often dismissed as “just part of gaming culture.” Drawing on recent research, I’ll trace how this…

In the years following the Arab Spring, a number of Islamist insurgent groups conquered swaths of territory across the Middle East and North Africa and began governing civilian populations. These groups have been faced with the complexities of administering justice, collecting taxes, and providing public services such as health care and education. How do Salafi-jihadist…

When studying terrorist campaigns, analysis typically centres on the two principal protagonists: the state and militant organisations. This narrow focus reflects a persistent assumption that, in moments of political exigency, violence constitutes the most effective instrument for achieving social and political change, rendering non-violent alternatives naïve or ineffective. This roundtable challenges that assumption by examining…

This presentation explores how gendered grievances shape both everyday and extremist forms of violence, drawing on research into perpetrators of domestic abuse and online incel communities. Though usually treated as distinct issues, both groups share similar narratives: that men are entitled to control women and that violence can restore a lost status or authority. Findings…