Criminal Minds

This talk will cover Mr. Hamid’s face-to-face interviews with members of ISIS and Al Qaida as well as his neuroimaging research on jihadist sympathizers. Topics such as individual vulnerabilities, community resilience, and the epidemiology of ideas will be explored. More broadly, his cross-cultural survey research will show how the spread of liberal democracy and globalization are exacerbating identity crises and search for purpose and belonging, which some extremist groups are able to use to their advantage

Popular culture feeds us with a constant stream of entertainment that depict the life of the underworld – rackets, violence, glamour, betrayal and the like. To go beyond misconceptions and hyperboles, academics have long sought to explain what organised crime is.
Have you ever wondered how they go about studying mafias, drug gangs, or human smugglers? Based on his research, Alex will speak about how social scientists investigate criminal groups and offer tips on the things to avoid.