Leaving Terrorism Behind: Individual and Collective Disengagement (Political Violence) [Paperback]

Tore Bjorgo (Editor), John Horgan (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415776686 | ISBN-13: 978-0415776684 | Publication Date: January 11, 2009 | Edition: 1

This new edited volume expands our understanding of the processes by which individuals and groups disengage from terrorism.

While there has been a growing awareness of the need to understand and prevent processes of radicalization into terrorism, disengagement and deradicalization from terrorism have long been neglected areas in research on terrorism. This book uses empirical data to explore how and why individuals and groups disengage from terrorism, and what can be done to facilitate it. The work also presents a series of case studies of disengagement programmes, from Colombia, northern Europe, Italy, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, comparing and assessing their various strengths and weaknesses. In light of the lessons learned from these cases, this book describes and explains the potential for new developments in counter-terrorism.

This book will be of great interest to all students of terrorism studies, war and conflict studies, international security and politics in general, as well as professionals in the field of counter-terrorism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The conclusions drawn up by Bjørgo and Horgan summarise the editors’ own considerations on the debate, based on the case studies employed by all of the contributors, and offer the reader some final concepts and questions upon which to reflect. This, along with the wealth of information offered by such a broad range of empirical data and case studies, make for a captivating read.' - Natasha Kingston, University of Bath, UK

About the Author

Tore Bjørgo is Professor at the Norwegian Police University College and Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. He has published extensively on terrorism, racist violence, youth gangs and crime prevention, and is author of Root Causes of Terrorism (2005).

John Horgan is Director of the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at The Pennsylvania State University. He is one of the world’s leading experts on terrorist psychology, and is author of over 50 publications in the field.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415776686
• ISBN-13: 978-0415776684
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,377,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. John Horgan is Director of the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at the Pennsylvania State University, where he is also Associate Professor of Psychology. He was previously Senior Research Fellow of the University of St Andrews' Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) in Scotland, where he retains an honorary position.

Dr. Horgan was awarded his PhD (Applied Psychology) from University College, Cork in 2000. While in Ireland, he spent several years conducting detailed research on Irish Republican terrorist movements, and published several noted articles on the financial activities of the Provisional IRA.

Author of over 50 publications, his primary area of research is on the psychology of terrorist behavior. His books include The Psychology of Terrorism (2005), The Future of Terrorism (1999, with Max Taylor), and Leaving Terrorism Behind: Individual and Collective Disengagement (2009, with Tore Bjorgo). His latest book Walking Away from Terrorism: Accounts of Disengagement from Radical and Extremist Movements was published in June 2009, and presents detailed fieldwork interviews Dr. Horgan has conducted with former members of radical and extremist movements (from the IRA to Al Qaeda) in several countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.

He is a member of the Editorial Boards of Terrorism and Political Violence and several other journals.