Religious Knives: Historical and Psychological Dimensions of International Terrorism (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781634311304)

In this timely multidimensional study, historian Jouni Suistola and psychoanalyst Vamık D. Volkan draw on their respective disciplines and their own personal and professional experiences to investigate the historical and psychological roots of terrorism. Specifically, what is it in human nature that allows people to terrorize and kill the other, and what societal factors--whether political, economic, or religious--lead to terrorism? And, in turn, how might terrorist ideologies and groups be defeated, especially when a society's realistic fears are contaminated with xenophobia, racism, and fantasized dangers? Focusing specifically on modern-day radical Islamist terrorism, the authors argue that studying the minds of individual terrorists can tell us something about those individuals, but that only by examining the deeper historical, political, and society-wide psychological processes at work will we be able to uncover the core causes of terrorism. Only through such understanding, they conclude, will the world be positioned to prevent further radicalization and create lasting and peaceful solutions to the seemingly intractable problem of terrorist violence.

Author: Jouni Suistola, Vamik Volkan
ISBN-10: 1634311302
ISBN-13: 9781634311304
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
Language: English
Published: 09/01/2017
Pages: 184
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d