Dr. Ewoud Kieft

Ewoud Kieft is a writer and historian, with seven books and hundreds of articles (in NRC, De Groene Amsterdammer and de Volkskrant, among others) to his name.

One theme recurs remarkably often in his work: radicalization. Whether it concerned the war enthusiasts of 1914, the Nazi sympathizers of the 1920s and 1930s, nineteenth-century converts, or the anti-establishment movement of the future.

Kieft's books and articles focus on individuals who turn away from the established order and become captivated by a truth that brooks no alternative. Time and again, the question arises as to what can be done against such radicalization; what can be offered in its place, and how an open society can defend itself against extremism.