Understanding terrorism : building on the sociological imagination / edited by Bernard Phillips.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Phillips, Bernard S.

Series:

Advancing the sociological imagination

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Terrorism--Social aspects.

Terrorism.

Integration (Theory of knowledge).

Whole and parts (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

ix, 210 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Boulder : Paradigm Publishers, [2007]

Summary:

Two fundamental problems within the social sciences are the failure to integrate the existing segments of knowledge and a very limited ability to point out directions for solving social problems, given that lack of integrated knowledge.This volume illustrates the integrated work of seven sociologists to reverse this situation not only for the problem of terrorism but also for any substantive or applied problem. C. Wright Mills in The Sociological Imagination castigated the failure to integrate social science knowledge, and this volume carries forward his efforts to analyze human complexity.To understand and confront terrorism we require not only the integration of social science knowledge bearing on that problem, as illustrated by these authors. We also require the integration of that knowledge with the understanding of those on the front lines in order to connect the dots of specialized basic and applied knowledge, which this volume makes possible.

Contents:

The web and part/whole approach to terrorism / Bernard Phillips

Terrorist organizations and agency : a comparative-historical approach / J. I. (Hans) Bakker

Terrorism as an "ism" : toward an interactive versus a stratified metaphysics / Bernard Phillips

Assessing the fallout of the terrorist moment : anomie and the fractured American Weltanschauung / Adam Rafalovich

Runaway nationalism : alienation, shame, and anger / Thomas J. Scheff

The social psychology of terrorism / Jonathan H. Turner

The post-September 11 rhetorical constructions of terrorism : applying the web and part/whole approach to make sense of the "senseless" / Todd Powell-Williams

On the relationship of the web approach to some theoretical perspectives / Sandro Segré

Appendix : response to Segré's analysis / Bernard Phillips

Conclusions and recommendations / Bernard Phillips.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781594513732

1594513732

OCLC:

123818219