Digital Library UNIMOF

In contrast to other social science disciplines, communication studies has hardly dealt systematically with the phenomenon of terrorism. The book presented by Liane Rothenberger on “Terrorism as Communication†closes this gap in a convincing manner. In addition to a concise review of the current state of international research, the work provides a differentiated analysis of theoretical approaches to terrorism research in communication studies. Communication studies proves to be a rich source for penetrating a phenomenon that was previously viewed primarily from a political science, sociological or psychological perspective._x000D_
For the frst time, a system of theoretical approaches based on communication studies is available that is suitable for classifying, explaining and empirically researching the complex phenomenon of terrorism. To begin with, Liane Rothenberger’s meta-analysis of theories from all relevant felds of research in the discipline provides an overview. Then she provides a variety of detailed theoretical starting points for the empirical study of terrorism and, last but not least, she shows how theoretical insights from communication studies can be made useful for the political and social practice of counterterrorism, for example by developing counter-narratives.