Female Terrorism and Militancy: Agency, Utility, and Organization

by Cindy D. Ness (Editor)

This edited volume provides a window on the many forces that structure and shape why women and girls participate in terrorism and militancy, as well as on how states have come to view, treat, and strategize against them. Females who carry out terrorist acts have historically been seen as mounting a challenge to the social order by violating conventional notions of gender and power, and their participation in such acts has tended to be viewed as being either as a passive victim or a feminist warrior. This volume seeks to move beyond these portrayals, to examine some of the structuring conditions that play a part in a girl or woman’s decision to commit violence. Amidst the contextual factors informing her involvement, the volume seeks also to explore the political agency of the female terrorist or militant. Several of the articles are based on research where authors had direct contact with female terrorists or militants who committed acts of political violence, or with witnesses to such acts.

242 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Reader]

我们对女性恐怖主义者的了解大多来自高度景观化的报道，因此大众的想象往往落在两个极端：她们是被操控的受害者，或是以暴力实现自我解放的女性主义战士。但这两种叙事都过于简化，无视她们作为行动者的复杂性。由于样本有限且难以系统统计，她们的个人生活与决策过程很少进入公共视野。书中不同学者提供了一些分析视角：女性参与暴力并非单一原因（极端宗教动机少得令我惊讶），而是战争、经济压力、家庭创伤等多重因素叠加的结果。她们在行动中可能拥有一定主导性，但进入这一长期由男性主导的暴力领域，并不意味着地位提升，更多时候仍被当作战术资源。讽刺的是，她们数量的上升恰恰来自社会中的性别刻板印象：女性带来的威胁更低。当女性进入一个本不属于她们的领域时，社会如何重新解释她们，或许才是更值得追问的问题。