Terrorism explained

Open lecture by

Jan Oskar Engene
, associate professor, Department of comparative politics, University of Bergen.

Terrorism dominates the news as violent attacks hurt random civilians and provoke strong reactions and condemnations across the globe. Fighting terror is high on the political agenda. But what is terrorism?

The term terrorism is frequently used in the public debate, often in strongly normative terms. However, there is no universally agreed definition of terrorism. The conceptual debate also affects research on terrorism. Grey areas and blurred lines with other forms of violence and conflict influence field research and data collection.

Is the concept distinct enough to make it scientifically useful? What makes terrorism different from other forms of political violence?

This lecture explores the conceptual arguments, the dominating academic understanding of the term, and trends that give the term terrorism new meaning.