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Towards a Definition of Terrorist Ideology

Bibliographic Data

ID5094345
AuthorsGary A Ackerman (College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, SUNY Albany, Albany, New York, USA), Gary Ackerman (corresponding author), Michael Burnham (0000-0002-9946-335X, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA)
Year2021
Volume33
Issue6
Pages1160-1190
Publication date2021-08-18
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTerrorism and Political Violence (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-6553 • E-ISSN: 1556-1836
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09546553.2019.1599862
OpenAlexW2941827441
LanguageEN
Citations received13

While conventional wisdom holds that the ideology espoused by a terrorist organization is somehow related to that organization’s actions, the precise nature of the relationship between these phenomena is hotly debated, with scholarship often yielding contrasting empirical results. We argue that one reason for this divergence in viewpoints and research findings is an inadequate understanding of what ideology actually is and how it relates to terrorism. Indeed, the terrorism literature reveals widely disparate uses of the concept of terrorist ideology. This article endeavors to provide a common framework for approaching ideology in the context of terrorism studies by systematically building a new definition of terrorist ideology from first principles. In so doing, we introduce a definition of terrorist ideology that is logically consistent, has robust theoretical underpinnings, and connects the study of ideology within terrorism to broader disciplinary research traditions regarding ideology. This provides a conceptual foundation from which to examine terrorist ideology in an objective, systematic manner and thereby enables terrorism researchers to more productively investigate important outstanding questions, such as which aspects of an ideology are most relevant to violent behavior

Epistemology · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Scholarship · Sociology · Terrorism · Viewpoints · History · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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  • Online Signals of Extremist Mobilization

    Open Access•Oli Brown, Laura G E Smith et al.•Personality and Social Psychology…•2026

  • When branding turns toxic

    Darryl Koehler•Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism…•2022

  • Fighting terrorism with nonviolence

    Roberto Baldoli•Critical Studies on Terrorism•2020

  • When (and where) can right-wing terrorists be charged with terrorism

    James J Norris•Critical Studies on Terrorism•2020

  • When Ideologies Became Dangerous

    Open Access•Timo Kivimaki•Global Society•2022

  • Breaking taboos

    Open Access•Victor Asal, Nazli Avdan et al.•Journal of Peace Research•2022

  • Searching for Ecoterrorism

    Open Access•Fleming•American Political Science Review•2024

  • Land use as a target for terrorism

    Open Access•Tamer Ali Al‐sabbagh, Tamer A Al-Sabbagh et al.•Land Use Policy•2026

  • Women in the Extreme and Radical Right

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  • In Dubio Pro Reo

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Citations per year2.17
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Highly citedNo

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