Toward a Phenomenology of Terrorism

This book examines thesocio-psychological dynamics and drivers of terrorism from a humanistic perspective. Most interpret terrorism asmeaningless, asocial violence but this book argues that it's not just a case of seeing 'who is killing whom' but that defining and understanding terrorism is configured by historical context and immediate experience.The author argues that theseacts of terrorist violence can be interpreted as the external expression of repressed feelings and impulses that have been tabooized by mainstream society. Upon release, these terrorists gain a new 'nomos' which generates a sense of meaning and significance for them.This bookdraws on psycho-analytical theories of repression, Heideggerian existentialism, Berger's anthropological concept of culture as 'nomos', and Roger Griffin's analysis of terrorist fanaticism, adding to theunderstanding terrorism andcriminality from a new perspective andbeyond the usual literature situated inpolitical science, security/war and peace studies. This book seeks to provide:a definition of terrorism, an account of the psychological theory, an explanation of the nomic dimension of terroristic violence, an exploration of the relevance of the new approach to understanding: Salafi jihadism, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, the Taliban, White Supremacism, the rise of the Radical Right, and reflections on this for combating terrorism. It appeals to those interested in terrorism, conflict, terrorist radicalization and motivation, internationalrelations, politics and religious politics, and tocounter-terrorism agencies.