A must-read for psychologists-clinical and academic alike-as well as for political scientists, policy analysts, and others working in the realm of terrorism, political violence, and extremism, this book carefully explores the theories, observations, and approaches of authorities in the field and addresses how and why terrorism has perpetuated for so long. Terrorism is now a regular topic in the news rather than a rare or an unusual occurrence. The possibility of violent terrorist acts constitutes a legitimate safety concern, regardless of one's country of residence: no longer can anyone assume that their location is beyond the reach or outside the targeted areas of any number of terrorist groups. Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism: New Psychology to Understand, Face, and Defuse the Threat examines why the number of terrorist attacks has greatly increased since the attacks on September 11, 2001, including well-known events such as the Madrid train bombings (2004), the London Underground bombings (2005), the San Bernardino and Paris attacks (2015), and countless others, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Beyond providing a careful and up-to-date assessment of the state of terrorism worldwide, which includes coverage of the religious and political origins of terrorist activities, the book pinpoints less-recognized and rarely studied aspects of terrorism, such as terrorism hysteria, sexuality, shame, and rape. The diverse perspectives within this unified volume are relevant to a breadth of subject areas, such as international psychology, military psychology, political science, political theory, religious studies, military theory, peace studies, military sciences, law enforcement, public health, sociology, anthropology, social work, law, and feminist theory.

Hans Juergen Wirth, a leading German psychoanalyst and editor of the journal Psychosozial, brings cultural breadth, historical perspective, and analytic astuteness to bear in considering the "collective trauma" of 9/11. His meditation, which brings into its compass the psychic structure of suicide bombers and the psycho-political causes and consequences of the Iraq war, is especially insightful in considering the psychological meaning of 9/11 for the world outside the U.S. In complementary forays into psyche and politics, Wirth explores the relationship of xenophobia and violence; the story of Jewish analysts who emigrated from Nazi Germany to the United States; the idea of man in psychoanalysis; and the family dynamics that sustain the AIDS phobia. These wonderfully illuminating essays, both cautionary and constructive, show how clinical experience with the unconscious processes of violence, traumatization, and destructiveness can be foundational to new political strategies for dealing with collective violence.

This volume is a monumental collection of definitions, conceptual frameworks, paradigmatic formulations, and bibliographic sources, which is now being revised and updated as a resource for the expanding community of researchers on the subject of terrorism.

This major new Handbook synthesises more than two decades of scholarly research, and provides a comprehensive overview of the field of terrorism studies. The content of the Handbook is based on the responses to a questionnaire by nearly 100 experts from more than 20 countries as well as the specific expertise and experience of the volume editor and the various contributors. Together, they guide the reader through the voluminous literature on terrorism, and propose a new consensus definition of terrorism, based on an extensive review of existing conceptualisations. The work also features a large collection of typologies and surveys a wide range of theories of terrorism. Additional chapters survey terrorist databases and provide a guide to available resources on terrorism in libraries and on the Internet. It also includes the most comprehensive World Directory of Extremist, Terrorist and other Organizations associated with Guerrilla Warfare, Political Violence, Protest and Organized- and Cyber-Crime. The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research will be an essential work of reference for students and researchers of terrorism and political violence, security studies, criminology, political science and international relations, and of great interest to policymakers and professionals in the field of counter-terrorism.