Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Terrorism and the Politics of Fear

This thoughtful text demonstrates how the mass media constructs a politics of fear in the United States. Using a social interactionist perspective, the chapters examines such issues as the expansion of surveillance on the Internet, the construction of a terrorism-fighting hero to promote patriotism, the use of social media by terror groups, the fear of the other fostered by the refugee crisis and western radicalization, as well as the mass-mediated reaction to recent terrorist attacks. Also covered are the politics of fear involving disease (Ebola, Zika), social control efforts, and harsh attacks on American governmental officials for not keeping people safe from harm. All chapters in this new edition have been updated with descriptions and relevant analysis of significant events, including two Israeli-Hamas wars, terrorism attacks (e.g., Boston Marathon, Charlie Hebdo, San Bernadino, etc.), global reactions-often hostility-to refugees in the United States and especially Europe, the development of ISIS, surveillance (Wiki Leaks, Snowden, NSA), and the growing significance of social media. The text explains how the social construction of fear is used to steer public and foreign policy, arguing that security policies to protect the citizenry from violence have become control systems that most often curtail privacy and civil liberties. Review 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, ' said Franklin Roosevelt. The second edition of David Altheide's Terrorism and the Politics of Fear suggests something more that merits our critical concern: the construction, deployment, and consumption of this fear as part of a broader politics of propaganda and manipulation. Altheide's nuanced analysis of this pervasive fright politics offers us both the insight to understand it and the courage to confront it.--Jeff Ferrell, author of Crimes of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality Unfortunately, if ever a book on the expanding plethora of frights and worries brought to us by media prevarication and manipulation was needed, it is now. But fortunately, David Altheide, in extending his pioneering work on media and society, helps meet that need. With its logical "frame" framework and fresh concepts and data, the book explores the marketing of anxiety, whether for political or consumption purposes. Altheide's cogent analysis calls for revision of Franklin D. Roosevelt's classic warning. We do indeed have a great deal to fear, not only from the message, but from the messengers who so disingenuously exploit, create and propagate unwarranted fear. Necessary reading for anyone who listens, watches or reads!--Gary T. Marx, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; author of Windows Into the Soul: Surveillance and Society in an Age of High Technology Be afraid. Be very afraid of fear mongering politicians and the media that play to our emotions. The politics of fear have become the constant backdrop of daily life. This new edition of a classic book is more timely than ever.--Lance Bennett, professor of political science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication Altheide's study offers great insights into the way that fear is constructed. This compelling account of the way fear works in our daily lives is essential for understanding our world.--Frank Furedi, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury In a world marked by uncertainty and fear, David Altheide presents a path-breaking and illustrating book, which recapitulates the need of deciphering the intersection of mass media with a culture of fear. As one of the most authoritative voices within the critical terrorism studies, Altheide provides readers with a fresh insight that explains brilliantly how fear is constructed, packaged, and instilled in society. Doubtless, this masterful project not only summarizes Altheide's life-time efforts in studying terrorism but also describes the emergence of a new exclusionary rhetoric tha