Skip to main content

EDGS Talk: The Making of an Extremist with Haula Noor, PhD

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM CT
720 University Place, Buffett Reading Room, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Webcast Link (Hybrid)

Join the Roberta Buffett Institute's Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program for a discussion on the role of the family environment in shaping one's trajectory toward violent extremism with Buffett-EDGS Visiting Scholar Haula Noor. Lunch will be served beginning at 12:15 p.m.

Professor Noor will preview her forthcoming book exploring the socialization and moral formation of would-be extremists through their families, in contrast to conventional scholarship on radicalization which focuses on individual motives. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with and observations of 31 families of jihadists and convicted terrorists from across Java, Indonesia, she will share empirical evidence on the complexities of ideological transmission within family structures, relationships, and resources. She will argue that family contexts both directly and indirectly shape early pathways to radicalization by either reinforcing or disrupting loyalty to, or drifting from, extremist ideologies. Professor Noor ultimately seeks to demonstrate how these familial dynamics influence individuals' decisions to join or refrain from radical activities, as well as how parenting practices may prevent the transmission of extremist ideologies.

About the Speaker

Haula Noor is in residence from January 19 through February 28, 2026 and is hosted by Brannon Ingram, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Faculty Associate with the Roberta Buffett Institute's Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program. Noor is a lecturer and the Secretary of the Doctoral Program at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII). She also serves as the Co-Director of the Center of Islam & Global Challenges at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, UIII. Apart from this position, she is the Program Director on Good Governance at KiPRAH Indonesia and is a researcher at the Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. Previously, Noor was a research fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She earned her PhD in International, Political, and Strategic Studies from the Australian National University (ANU), focusing on the role of family dynamics in jihadist radicalization. Her expertise encompasses gender and terrorism, family psychology, Islamic studies, and the intersection of Islam, security, and democratic governance. Noor has published extensively on issues of radicalization, religious authority, and women's roles in terrorism. During her appointment, Haula will work on shifting her PhD dissertation on "The Family Context and Its Role in Making Jihadists in Indonesian" into a publishable monograph.

To register to attend in person, click the button below. Want to attend virtually? Register to attend via Zoom.

Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated.

Audience

  • Faculty/Staff
  • Student
  • Public
  • Post Docs/Docs
  • Graduate Students

Contact

Zachary Shulman  

edgs@northwestern.edu

Interest

  • Global/Multicultural

Add Event To My Group

Please sign-in