Research on the factors of radicalization and violent extremism in North Macedonia is scarce and mainly conducted partially, only in certain aspects, and often exploring the factors separately, without taking into account their interactions and mutual relations and dependencies. This research is offering a holistic approach to examining and researching the individual factors and social drivers that push people towards radicalization, violent extremism, and terrorism.

Criminological analysis of violent extremism includes several criminological theories, such as the subcultural theory, the rational choice theory, the control and learning theory, and the situational action theory. After the Paris attacks in 2015, there has been increased interest among criminologists to “understand life experiences and biographies” of individuals who have been engaged in violent extremism. The most acceptable theory for such type of research is the life-course perspective.

Building upon the components of this theory, the research is focusing on exploring and understanding the violent extremism in the Republic of North Macedonia through the extremists’ life experiences. Therefore, it contributes to the identification and explanation of the life-course trajectories of incarcerated individuals who’ve been violent extremists and radicalized, and to more successful identification of latent “new” targets who could be radicalized. It utilizes a set of life-course criminological tools to explore individual-level experiences, motives, and drivers for engagement in violent extremism in late adolescence and emerging adulthood. The research explores intricate intersections of biography, social context, and life-course contingent dynamics of both group- and self-narratives as a useful approach to understand why, how, and when people come to engage in such behaviors.