NCJ Number
223160
Date Published
2007
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Focusing on the shaping of "new terrorism," this chapter discusses how cultural institutions play a major role in defining crime risks and circulating dominant ideas about victimization.
Abstract
"New terrorism" is the term used by journalists, policymakers, and politicians in the United Kingdom to distinguish between the activities of new radical Islamic groups and older European organizations that have used terrorist tactics. It is claimed that new terrorist groups operate under a system of cells, attempt to perpetrate mass killings throughout the world, and have access to an extensive array of dangerous weapons. The concept of "new terrorism" has proved attractive to politicians in their efforts to explain and promote significant changes in the structure and tactics of addressing terrorism. In the United Kingdom, a great deal of governmental work has been done to keep security high on the media agenda and to make the public more aware of the "new terrorist" threat. The primary terrorist victim has been defined as an affluent, White, urban Christian Anglo-Saxon. Not only do these cultural cues promote a limited perception of terrorist victims, they also perpetuate the notion of a non-White "terroristic other." This creation of the universal victim forged through the model of terrorist risk is symptomatic of a wider process of victim creation. Magnifying victimization risk (multiple terrorist cells in one's own country planning mass killings) increases widespread public fear of a particular type of crime, diminishes concern about more frequent crimes and their victims, and threatens to change the structure for defining and responding to crime victims. 4 notes and 66 references