Critical Terrorism Studies: A New Research Agenda

by Richard Jackson (Editor), Jeroen Gunning, Marie Breen Smyth

In response to the growth of a critical perspective on contemporary issues of terrorism, this edited volume brings together a number of leading scholars to debate the new subfield of 'critical terrorism studies'. In the years since the 9/11 attacks, terrorism studies has undergone a major transformation from minor subfield of security studies into a large stand-alone field, and is probably one of the fastest expanding areas of research in the Western academic world. However, much of the literature is beset by a number of problems, limiting its potential for producing rigorous empirical findings and genuine theoretical advancement. In response to these weaknesses in the broader field, a small but increasing number of scholars have begun to articulate a critical perspective on contemporary issues of terrorism. This volume brings together a number of leading scholars to debate the need for and the shape of this exciting new subfield.The first part of the volume examines some of the main shortcomings and limitations of orthodox terrorism studies, while the second examines exactly what a 'critical' terrorism studies would look like. Contributors from a variety of methodological and disciplinary perspectives give this volume diversity, and it will lay the foundations for, and provoke debate about, the future research agenda of this new field. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, terrorism studies and IR theory in general. Richard Jackson is Reader in the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University, where he is also Senior Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Contemporary Political Violence (CSRV). He is the founding editor of the journal, Critical Studies on Terrorism. Marie Breen Smyth is Director of the Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Contemporary Political Violence (CSRV) at Aberystwyth University. She is a Reader in International Politics and co-editor of the journal, Critical Studies on Terrorism. Jeroen Gunning is Lecturer in International Politics at Aberystwyth University, Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Contemporary Political Violence and co-editor of the journal, Critical Studies on Terrorism.

Genres: Terrorism, Reference, Law, Crime, Politics

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Angel 一匹狼 · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone interested in broading her/his knowledge about how the field of terrorism studies is understood today and what problems it's facing, this book is a great guide. It covers all the "new" views and theories that have appeared in these last years, and how the focus has shifted from states to individuals (at least in part of the academic world).

"Critical Terrorism Studies" touches the problems between power and researchers, the problems of the use of "terrorism" to define groups, new ideas about how to better understand the apparation of "terrorist" groups or how they are more than just a violent group of people doing violent things in their violent free time.

It is all quite interesting and it will be a worthwhile reading. Nonetheless it suffers from two problems. The ever recurring problem with academic works of being dense and sometimes inexcrutable (on purpose); it's difficult to understand why researchers and academics don't make these books easier to read. Their appeal would be broader, and people who get lost on difficult words and long sentences (everyone?) would find easier to understand and easier to relate to. The second problem is that repetition settles as the volume advances, as some authors repeat what others have said before.

But if you want to know more about how the world we live in works, read it. It can be a little bit difficult, but you will see things in a different way after reading it.

6/10

[Shane Wallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I come to this book as someone fairly new to the field of terrorism studies. That being said, I found this book to be both incredibly engaging and accesible. It manages to introduce the reader to methodological and theoretical shortcomings of orthodox terrorism studies and raising the prospect of what a critical approach has to offer. My interest in this book stemmed from the chapter contributed to it by Dr Jeffery Sluka which looks at what critical cultural studies can gain from anthropology. Being a former student, indeed he introduced me to sociocultural anthropology, I find his writing captivating. Other contributions to the book also proved to be equally enticing. For the shortcomings they mention, I find this to be an extremely important read.