Terror, Terrorism, States (Hardcover)

The world today is marked by different kinds of terror—individual, state, anarchist, revolutionary, religious, imperial or communal; or the terror of insecurity or catastrophe—each with its particular imprint. Their different ideological and philosophical justifications need to be understood, especially now, when distinctions between them have been obliterated by the blanket term, ‘terrorism,’ and the habit of calling those who practise this generalised ideology, ‘terrorists’. This volume of essays by international scholars engages with several aspects of terror: as historical event; as a generalised discourse of ideology; as a feature in the continuum of violence; as ‘extreme violence’; and as the final marker of identity—ascribed, undertaken or imposed. The authors also discuss the historical and discursive relations between democracy and terror, liberalism and the rule of law, the ‘war on terror’ and the need for legitimacy.