University of California Press Constructions of Terrorism: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Research and Policy

Discussions about the meaning of terrorism are enduring in everyday language, government policy, news reporting, and international politics.  And disagreements about both the definition and the class of violent events that constitute terrorism contribute to the difficulty of formulating effective responses aimed at the prevention and management of the threat of terrorism and the development of counterterrorism policies.   Constructions of Terrorism collects works from the leading scholars on terrorism from an array of disciplines—including communication, political science, sociology, global studies, and public policy—to establish appropriate research frameworks for understanding how we construct our understanding of terrorism.  From the Inside Flap In a crowded field,  Constructions of Terrorism stands out for its analytically and empirically rigorous analysis of the multiplicity of ways in which &;terrorism&; is understood, studied, and countered today. In an outstanding and refreshingly coherent volume, a distinguished group of scholars from a number of different disciplinary perspectives, provides much-needed clarity and insight on a particularly tricky problem: What exactly is terrorism, and how can we best understand it? This original collection needs to be widely read by journalists, politicians, counter-terrorism officials, new and established scholars, and anyone who wants to better understand political violence today. --Richard Jackson, University of Otago, New Zealand "This volume seeks to look at terrorism from many angles, with some of the best minds in the field of terrorism studies coming up with new insights into a phenomenon that has baffled policymakers for decades. Counter-terrorism would be less counterproductive if policymakers would take heed of their advice." --Alex P. Schmid,  Research Fellow and Director of the Terrorism Research Initiative at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, The Hague From the Back Cover In a crowded field, Constructions of Terrorism stands out for its analytically and empirically rigorous analysis of the multiplicity of ways in which 'terrorism' is understood, studied, and countered today. In an outstanding and refreshingly coherent volume, a distinguished group of scholars from a number of different disciplinary perspectives, provides much-needed clarity and insight on a particularly tricky problem: What exactly is terrorism, and how can we best understand it? This original collection needs to be widely read by journalists, politicians, counter-terrorism officials, new and established scholars, and anyone who wants to better understand political violence today. --Richard Jackson, University of Otago, New Zealand "This volume seeks to look at terrorism from many angles, with some of the best minds in the field of terrorism studies coming up with new insights into a phenomenon that has baffled policymakers for decades. Counter-terrorism would be less counterproductive if policymakers would take heed of their advice." --Alex P. Schmid, Research Fellow and Director of the Terrorism Research Initiative at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, The Hague About the Author Michael Stohl is Professor of Communication, Political Science and Global Studies and Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.Richard Burchill is Director of Research and Engagement at TRENDS Research & Advisory, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Scott Englund is a Non-Resident Fellow with Abu Dhabi based TRENDS Research and Advisory, a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.