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Sociological Theories, Mass Media, Terrorism, Censor Terrorism Coverage, Pure Sociology, Social Geometry, Social Distances, Geometry of Terrorism, Physical Geometry Terrorist Networks and Counter Terror Organizations, Sociology, Lecture Slides, David Knoke, Minnesota State University (MN), United States of America (USA)
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Some important issues for sociological theories of terror: Organizing terror – effective forms: hierarchy vs. network Socializing terrorists – career development paths Terrorism as communication – mass media impacts covering terror; pro & con censorship arguments Social control of terrorists – law, crime & punishment
We’ll examine networks and other forms of terrorist organization next time.
Theories about the socialization of terrorists usually depict a process of career development: progressive awareness, indoctrination, & training that takes a recruit from conventional SMO activism, to foot soldier in boot camp, to squad-leader, and ultimately to board of directors. Few make it to the top.
Mass media and terrorists have a symbiotic (mutual-benefit) relation. The 24/7 news cycle feeds off visual content. Terrorists need media coverage to frighten their intended audiences & propagandize their causes. Mainstream media concentrate on event facts, but seldom communicate their grievances and demands. Some media (e.g., Fox News, Al Jazeera) offer particularly slanted news reportage and opinions on conflicts involving their homelands.
Theories of mass comm & Internet examine how messages and images affect society. Media policies about coverage and access by terrorists to audiences may affect success or failure of some terrorist campaigns.
Black, Donald. 2000. “Dreams of Pure Sociology.” Sociological Theory 18:343-367.
Legal sociology explains the behavior of law itself, not of people in law:
A call to the police is an increase in law, a movement of law into a conflict
Arrests, prosecutions, convictions & punishments are all increases of law
Law behaves with the same principles everywhere throughout history
Where does more law occur: At the top or bottom of societies? In an upward or downward direction? Across close or distant social and cultural spaces?
Controlling for access, is someone more likely to insult, slap, beat, maim, torture, or murder: A blood-relative? step-child? household member? neighbor? tribal member? countryman? stranger? foreigner? For which close/distant relations will laws and punishments likely be applied more severely?
Social geometry is measured as distances in multi-dimensional social space: Horizontal: Degree of intimacy and integration: kin, friends, strangers Vertical: Socioeconomic & authority inequalities: class, status, power Corporate: Social distances between groups & organizations Cultural: Social distances between languages, religions, “We” vs. “Others” Normative: Social control of crime and punishment
“No contact, no terrorism.” 19th^ c. terrorism mainly targeted colonial masters. 20th^ c. transportation & other inventions allow aggrieved groups to shrink geographic distances. Airports, high-rise buildings, sports arenas, and malls aggregate easy targets.
Is Black too optimistic that globalization – by bringing people into greater intimacy – will ultimately destroy the social geometric conditions for terror?
Can social geometry explain why counterterrorism “combines criminal justice with quasi-warfare” in prevention, pre-emption, retaliation against attackers?