Vol. 27 No. 2 (2021): The day that changed the world? September 11 20 years later
Dossiê

9/11 and the emergence of Critical Terrorism Studies: main debates, theoretical advancements, and ways forwards

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  • Raquel da Silva,
  • Alice Martini
Raquel da Silva
ISCTE-IUL
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34019/2594-8296.2021.v27.33772

Published 2021-09-10

Keywords

  • 9/11,
  • terrorism,
  • counter-terrorism,
  • Critical Terrorism Studies,
  • Global War on Terror

How to Cite

da Silva, Raquel, and Alice Martini. 2021. “9/11 and the Emergence of Critical Terrorism Studies: Main Debates, Theoretical Advancements, and Ways Forwards”. Locus: History Journal 27 (2):9-25. https://doi.org/10.34019/2594-8296.2021.v27.33772.

Copyright (c) 2021 Raquel da Silva

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The attacks of 11 September 2001 have profoundly impacted the field of terrorism studies. In this article we aim to trace, in particular, the impact of this date on the establishment of critical terrorism studies (CTS) as a school of thought. Such an endeavour aims to create an ‘umbrella-term’ to gather scholars from diverse backgrounds, in an attempt to provide a counter-narrative to the dominant, mainstream understanding of terrorism and counter-terrorism. CTS scholarship offers alternative approaches to state-centred, ahistorical, and ‘problem-solving’ standpoints, which have been at the origin of numerous atrocities committed, for example, under the Global War on Terror banner. This article explores the key debates stirred by CTS scholarship over the years, its recent advancements, and existing gaps.

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