Contextualizing Radicalization: The Emergence of the “Sauerland-Group” from Radical Networks and the Salafist Movement

This article proposes an analytical perspective on jihadist radicalization that focuses on the immediate social environment from which clandestine violent groups emerge, to which they remain socially and symbolically connected, and from which they receive some degree of support. Based on a detailed analysis of the “Sauerland-Group” it traces relational dynamics shaping individual pathways as well as processes of group formation within local Salafist milieus, the wider Salafist movement, and radical jihadist networks. It argues that one characteristic feature of “homegrown” jihadist groups is their simultaneous connection to and embeddedness in various different social contexts as well as the fluid, ad-hoc character of the clandestine group and its ambivalent relation with its supportive social environment.     

Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit und Diskriminierung auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt – Europäische Politik,transnationaler Mobilitätsraum und nationales Feld

The paper deals with the interaction of horizontal and vertical European integration. It asks whether the principle of free movement of labour does not only legally but also de facto prevent discrimination of non-nationals in EU Member States. Theoretically, the analysis is framed by distinguishing three interrelated types of social fields: a supranational political field of free movement of labour, national labour market fields and an intermediary transnational space of mobility. Focusing on the German labour market and drawing on comprehensive administrative data the article shows that wage differences are to a large extend caused by differences in relevant labour market characteristics such as age or education. However, for the vast majority of EU non-nationals in Germany is also observed discrimination in payment. Strikingly, positive discrimination is more pronounced than negative discrimination. These differences are understood as hinting at the increasing importance of comparisons between national labour markets in the EU.     

Populism versus Democracy

This article provides a comparative conceptual analysis of the logic of populism and the logic of (constitutional) democracy. Populism is defined as a thin-centered ideology which advocates the sovereign rule of the people as a homogeneous body. The logic of this ideology is further developed in reference to the work of Carl Schmitt and is shown to generate all the characteristics typically ascribed to populism. The logic of democracy is analyzed on the basis of the work of Claude Lefort and defined as a regime in which the locus of power remains an empty place. This analysis replaces the widespread model of constitutional democracy as a paradoxical combination of a constitutional and a democratic pillar. This two-pillar model fails to appreciate the internal coherence and some of the main features of the (constitutional) democratic logic. Thereby, the two-pillar approach gives rise to an understanding of populism as continuous with the democratic promise of constitutional democracy. In contrast, our analysis explains populism as the closure of the empty place of democracy. This highlights the antagonistic discontinuity between the logic of populism and the logic of democracy.     

Injury pattern in fatal automobile accident passengers due to rear-end collisions

The article reports on the injury pattern seen in fatally wounded car passengers after rear-end collisions on motorways. The study material included 5 rear-end collisions, in which 9 car occupants (5 drivers and 4 front-seat passengers) were killed. The change in velocity (delta v) was above 60 km/h in all the reported cases. The injury pattern showed the following characteristics: extensive soft-tissue traumatization (subcutaneous haematomas, blood-filled pockets, "décollements") not discernible from outside on the back of the trunk, mostly in the lumbosacral region; dorsal serial rib fractures, often combined with fractures of the spine (including the sacrum and the coccyx) and/or the pelvis; ruptures of the aorta at the typical sites of predisposition; ruptures of the liver and spleen (particularly at the visceral surfaces).     

Fatal accident with a special automobile

The authors report on a traffic accident in which the passenger of a Light Four-wheeled Vehicle (Microcar) approved for use by a disabled person was killed after a rear collision with a compact car. The severity of the accident trauma was critically determined by the vehicle's light construction. Consideration is also given to the legal situation regarding registration and driver's license issues.