Choice Reviews Online · 1997 · 315 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesCultural StudiesPolitical CommunicationMedia CriticismMythologyTerrorism StudiesDefinitions Of TerrorismTerrorist OrganizationsConceptual Definitions Of TerrorismCultural Studies IntegrationNarrow Definition Of Terrorism
Terror and Taboo examines how language and media representations amplify terrorism, arguing that the mythology of terrorism worsens its impact. The authors aim to eliminate the taboos that surround terrorism. The book grounds its argument with concrete examples—such as focusing on Timothy McVeigh’s shopping habits versus legitimate international arms traffic—and theoretical insights from cultural studies. The authors present compelling evidence that the way we write and talk about terrorism empowers it.
Terror and Taboo is about the mythology of terrorism; it is an exploration of the ways we talk about terrorism. It offers incontestable evidence to support the idea that we give power to terrorism by the way we write and talk about it. According to Zulaika and Douglass, we make terrorism worse by the way we represent it in the media and in everyday conversation. Through their examination of terrorism, they propose to remove the taboos surrounding terrorism. Terror and Taboo is full of examples to ground the authors premise, ranging from specific examples, such as tendency to talk more about where Timothy McVeigh shopped for weapons than about the international traffic in arms by legitimate nations, to more theoretical interpretations that will be familiar to readers of cultural studies books.