Understanding Terror
Perspectives for Canadians
Published on 30. March 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-1-55238-272-1 (ISBN)
Description
While much has been said about the global war on terror, the concept remains cunningly elusive and yet undeniably pervasive. This collection of essays is an effort to discover the Canadian ""self"" through exploration of the terrorist ""other"".
Understanding Terror views the war on terror from unique eyes. It defines the boundaries of terror, examines its construction in the media, and explores its relationship to the Muslim ""other"". It takes a historical approach to consideration of terror through specific examples and its presence in the media, in North American society, and particularly in Canada.
Contributors to the volume include journalists, scholars, and public policy experts, many of whom have viewed or experienced terror first-hand. Their aim is to examine specific events, reflect on how those events might be interpreted, and provide historical context, all the while encouraging the reader to question preconceived characterizations of this highly charged political and cultural issue.
Understanding Terror views the war on terror from unique eyes. It defines the boundaries of terror, examines its construction in the media, and explores its relationship to the Muslim ""other"". It takes a historical approach to consideration of terror through specific examples and its presence in the media, in North American society, and particularly in Canada.
Contributors to the volume include journalists, scholars, and public policy experts, many of whom have viewed or experienced terror first-hand. Their aim is to examine specific events, reflect on how those events might be interpreted, and provide historical context, all the while encouraging the reader to question preconceived characterizations of this highly charged political and cultural issue.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Calgary
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
413 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-55238-272-1 (9781552382721)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Karim-Aly S. Kassam believes that the so-called war on terror has hijacked international focus from more substantive issues such as conservation of the biological and cultural diversity that are essential to human survival. In trying to understand terror, Dr. Kassam and the contributors to this work seek to broaden public discourse on the perception of terror. Among his many publications, Dr. Kassam has co-edited Canada and September 11: Impact and Response. Dr. Kassam currently holds the post of International Associate Professor of Environmental and Indigenous Studies at Cornell University.
Content
Introduction: Why Try to Understand Terror?; Terror & Its Boundaries; How Canada Confronts Terrorism: Canadian Responses to 9/11 in Historical & Comparative Context; Accounting for Disaster: The Quest for "Closure" After Aerial Mass Murder -- The Downing of Air India Flight in Comparative Perspective; The Word "Terrorism" & Its Impact on Public Consciousness; Groping in the Dark: How the Media, Absent a Frame of Reference, Fumbled the Danish Cartoon Controversy; The Terrorist "Other": The Fundamentalist & the Islamist; Maintaining Environmental Priorities in the Age of Terrorism; Responding to the Terror of Genocide: Learning from the Rwandan Genocide of 1994; Psycho-dynamics of Terror: A Perspective on the Evolution of Western Civilization; Conclusion: "The Global War on Terror" Overdetermined as a Clash of Civilizations; Index.