Formers: Interviews with former extremists
The Formers Dataset is a collection of primary data interviews with former extremists, available for academic researchers
- Life story interviews with former extremists provide rich sources of data on processes of radicalisation and engagement as well as disengagement, deradicalisation and reintegration into mainstream society.
- The current version of the dataset contains interviews with 15 former participants of different types of far-right groups and movements based in a range of countries in Europe and North America.
- The Dataset will be updated with additional interviews.
- Interviews with formers from other types of extremism may also be included at a later stage.
- The interviews were based on similar interview guides and typically lasted 1-2 hours.
- All the interviewees in the dataset have given their informed consent that their transcribed interviews (with various degrees of anonymisation) can be shared with other scholars to be used as research data.
- The interviews in the dataset will be made available as transcribed material to academic researchers and student by application and according to regulations for access and use (see below).
- Some of the interviews will be made publicly available as podcasts.
This website also provides a collection of other resources with primary data, such as an annotated bibliography of published (auto)biographies with former extremists, including books, podcasts, documentaries, interviews and a public talks (See Resources below).
The Formers Dataset
How to cite when using the dataset:
The FORMERS dataset, an Open Science dataset based at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX), University of Oslo, 2024
Resources: accounts of former extremists
Funding
This project has received funding from Stiftelsen Fritt Ord and Gjensidigestiftelsen
