Lecture Week 7

Question 1

Terrorism

Answer 1

The use of violence by an organization other than a national government to intimidate or frighten a target audience

Question 2

Radical/fanatic/fundamentalist/extremist

Answer 2

These are normative labels. One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter

Question 3

Salafi-jihadi

Answer 3

This is a contentious term
-Salafi = belief. Living like the first generation of muslims
- Jihadi- method. Struggle, legitimizing violence, neotraditional

Insurgent, non-state armed actor, rebel

Question 4

Why are jihadi hard to study?

Answer 4

• its not unique
• its about a ideology
• dangerous fieldwork
• extremely diverse actors

Question 5

What are the root ideas of the Jihad?

Answer 5

• context of colonialsm, imperialism and questioning the islam’s role

Question 6

Early Jihadi movements in the 1960-80s

Answer 6

Context: newly independent nations, cold war and dictators
Goals: political and social change at home
Tactics: terror, targetted violence and preaching, social movements
Academic approach

Question 7

Afghan-Soviet war (1979-89)

Answer 7

CONTEXT: Cold War, + important events in muslim nations
GOALS: defending Islamic world
TACTICS: Guerrilla warfare
ACADEMIC APPROACH :
Noble mujahideen, imperialism…

Question 8

Global Jihad

Answer 8

CONTEXT: American empire, neoliberalism, globalization
GOALS: Targetting West, for local end-objectives
TACTICS: Terrorism as war, franchising
ACADEMIC APPROACH : End of history / Clash of civilizations / New Wars.
aims, financing, mobilisation…

Question 9

Post 9/11

Answer 9

ACADEMIC APPROACH :
Terrorism studies/”jihadology”. Security as starting point
Lumping together
Assumptions on identity (primordialism/instrumentalism)
Refusal to look at historical roots / political aspects

Question 10

ISIS

Answer 10

STRUCTURE: Trauma of Iraq & US imperialism
GOALS: Globally defending the local ‘islamic state’
TACTICS: governance & terrorism & media jihad
SCHOLARSHIP: media studies, governance (tentative).
Boom of “jihadology” and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE)
At home (deradicalization)
Global South: humanitarian/peace/development NEXUS. (impact Trump?)

Question 11

Main issues in the study of jihad

Answer 11

Politicized knowledge
Dogmatic / Taboos
Top-down / North-South
Epistemology

Opportunities:
NEEDED: critical analyses
Inter-disciplinary approach

Question 12

Common applied perspectives: identity framing

Answer 12

Identity-framing (race; herder/farmer…)
Critique: identity as a social construct (but still felt & used)

Question 13

Common applied perspectives: Greed

Answer 13

(war economy, extractivism, narco-jihadis…)
Critique: financial gains = means
+ complex motivations (not just
rational actors)

Question 14

Commonly applied perspectives: terrorism studies

Answer 14

lumping”
Critique: local specificity
diversity of jihadis

Question 15

Commonly applied perspectives: Proxy wars

Answer 15

France/West vs Russia
Critique: agency!

Question 16

Commonly applied perspectives: New Barbarism

Answer 16

New barbarism’: barbarity, irrationality of Global South
Critique: legitimizer of intervention + violence bias

Question 17

The lecturers research in Mali

Answer 17

She looked at the margins to observe transformation. She did interviews with non-combattants talking about everyday life and concerns. She collaborated with Malian researchers. But she had some difficulties due to security, taboos, shorter stays and decolonizing.