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Sociology of terrorism


The sociology of terrorism is a developing subfield of sociology that seeks to understand terrorism as a social phenomenon and how individuals as well as nation states respond to such events. It is not to be confused with terrorism studies which sometimes overlaps with the psychology of terrorism.

Some exceptions withstanding,sociology found little interest in the subject of terrorism before the attacks on September 11, 2001. Since 9/11, there has been a spike of interest in various sociological traditions related to terrorism, such as moral panic, organizational response and media coverage, and counterterrorism.

Terrorism was largely ignored by sociologists prior to September 11, 2001. The most comprehensive study into the definition of terrorism comes from a study by Weinberg, Pedahzur and Hirsch-Hoefler (2004) who examined 73 definitions of terrorism from 55 articles and concluded that terrorism is: "a politically motivated tactic involving the threat or use of force or violence in which the pursuit of publicity plays a significant role." However, Weinberg et al. point out that definitions of terrorism often ignore symbolic aspects of terrorism. Due to its focus on symbolism, sociology has a unique vantage point from which to assess terror.

Since 9/11, Mathieu Deflem (University of South Carolina), S.E. Costanza (Central Connecticut State University) and John C. Kilburn Jr. (Texas A&M International University) are among prolific sociologists of note to call for development of a sub-field of sociology related to terrorism. Common topics that are part of the discourse of the sociology of terrorism include: military spending, counter-terrorism, immigration, privacy Issues, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, where within these contexts questions of power, the definition of terrorism, propaganda, nationality, the media, etc. are asked.


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