Do we need Prevent Duty in Greece? An Analysis of Teachers’ Experiences in Building Resilience against Radicalisation related to Right-Wing Extremism in Greek State Schools

Ilia, Angeliki (2025) Do we need Prevent Duty in Greece? An Analysis of Teachers’ Experiences in Building Resilience against Radicalisation related to Right-Wing Extremism in Greek State Schools. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

Recent decades have seen an international debate on extremism connected to right-wing ideology and how best to tackle this alarming phenomenon take place both within and outside academic communities and governmental policy bodies. Scholarship worldwide delves into the mechanisms of radicalisation that map the paths into extremist and terrorist acts. Concurrently, to build resilience against extremism that leads to terrorism, many countries enact national strategies focusing on the pre-crime sphere and the role of the public sector. The United Kingdom’s Government was the first to introduce one of the most influential counter-radicalisation agendas, which aims to identify people at risk of committing terrorist acts and intervene, known as the Prevent strategy. Unlike in the UΚ, in Greece, a solid legal framework regarding radicalisation and the engagement of the education sector in the prevention of extremism is absent. The conviction of Golden Dawn, an extreme right-wing political party, for being a criminal organisation and a number of its members in prison sentence was the motivation for my study. This adjudication sparked a debate in the educational community on how to discuss its meaning with students. Theoretically informed by the interpretivist-constructivist paradigm, my fieldwork combined fourteen classroom observations in twelve schools with semi-structured interviews, participant-generated photographs and follow-up interviews with twenty participants, teachers and Heads of schools. The data reveals different views and interpretations of the visibility of right-wing extremism threat in state secondary schools in Greece and its normalised form. Moreover, my research investigates the responsibility to deal with this alarming threat regarding social actors involved, professionalism and concerns about traumatised relationships of trust between teachers and students. Furthermore, my thesis aims to shed light on the mechanisms of building resilience against right-wing extremism within educational settings and investigate the necessity of a more securitised agenda, similar to Prevent in the UΚ. The influence of my research could be a starting point for reinforcing the idea of ‘active citizenship’ built on a humanistic and cosmopolitan approach and not under a strict securitised framework. Thus, this study could pave the way for a change that could provide the educational society in Greece with the essential tools to confront the above phenomenon.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 25 March 2025 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Radicalisation, Right-Wing Extremism, Prevention, Greek Teachers, Schools, Resilience, Active Citizenship, Human Rights
Subjects:	CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-03 - politics > CAH15-03-01 - politics CAH16 - law > CAH16-01 - law > CAH16-01-01 - law CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-01 - education
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Law, Social and Criminal Justice
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2025 11:42
Last Modified:	22 Apr 2025 11:42
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16311