Since 9/11 we have been told that terrorists are pathological evildoers, beyond our comprehension. Before the 1970s, however, hijackings, assassinations, and other acts we now call 'terrorism' were considered the work of rational strategic actors. 'Disciplining Terror' examines how political violence became 'terrorism,' and how this transformation ultimately led to the current 'war on terror.' Drawing upon archival research and interviews with terrorism experts, Lisa Stampnitzky traces the political and academic struggles through which experts made terrorism, and terrorism made experts. She argues that the expert discourse on terrorism operates at the boundary - itself increasingly contested - between science and politics, and between academic expertise and the state. Despite terrorism now being central to contemporary political discourse, there have been few empirical studies of terrorism experts. This book investigates how the concept of terrorism has been developed and used over recent decades.
• The first empirical study of terrorism experts • Places the 'war on terror' in social and historical context in order to provide a new perspective on an important situation • Explains the shifting social construction of 'terrorism'
Contents
1. Introduction; 2. The invention of terrorism and the rise of the terrorism expert; 3. From insurgents to terrorists: experts, rational knowledge, and irrational subjects; 4. Disasters, diplomats, and databases: rationalization and its discontents; 5. 'Terrorism fever': the first war on terror and the politicization of expertise; 6. Loose can(n)ons: from 'small wars' to the 'new terrorism'; 7. The road to pre-emption; 8. The politics of (anti)knowledge: disciplining terrorism after 9/11; 9. Conclusion: the trouble with experts.
Reviews
Advance praise: 'I do not know anyone who would have predicted some forty years ago that 'terrorism studies' would emerge as a field, much less that a talented sociologist would devote her attention to producing a fascinating critique of its erratic and contentious development. Lisa Stampnitzky's book is important not just as a disciplined examination of an undisciplined field but as a cautionary tale about the vexed relationship between experts and policy makers.' Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University
Advance praise: 'Lisa Stampnitzky tells a truly fascinating and revelatory story about how 'terrorism' came to occupy a prominent place in contemporary politics and culture. Theoretically sophisticated, meticulously researched and eloquently written, Disciplining Terror represents a quantum leap forward in our understanding of the rise and evolution of the so-called 'terrorism experts'.' Richard Jackson, Editor, Critical Studies on Terrorism
Advance praise: 'In a riveting account, Disciplining Terror asks how a new breed of expert formulated the nightmare concept of 'terrorism'. Investigating how hijackings and hostage-taking, bombings and guerrilla warfare came to constitute a new, socially defined category, Lisa Stampnitzky traces how we ended up not in a war against particular enemies but in a war against a concept, a War on Terror. This brilliant, deeply researched analysis demystifies a fundamental obsession of our political culture.' Ann Swidler, University of California, Berkeley
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