Citation

Jackson R. Behav. Sci. Terrorism Polit. Aggres. 2010; 3(2): 116-130.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/19434472.2010.512148

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article offers a revisionary re?description of the central characteristics of terrorism in an attempt to put forward a persuasive definition under which scholars could converge. It accepts that there are valid reasons for rejecting the term, not least because it is a socially constructed label that has been misused in public discourse. Nonetheless, it argues that, based on a ?minimal foundationalist? ontological position, it is possible to define and describe the key characteristics of terrorist violence. The article then attempts to re?describe the characteristics of terrorism by dealing with a number of common misconceptions, such as the notion that terrorism is violence directed at civilians or non?combatants by non?state actors, before offering a contingent definition of terrorism relevant to the present historical moment. The article concludes by outlining a range of additional pragmatic and normative reasons for retaining the term as a research concept.