terrorism

The Sociological Aspects of Terrorism



Hoffman defines terrorism as “The threat or use of violence, often against the civilian population, to achieve political or social ends, to intimidate opponents, or publicize grievances” (p.1). Terrorism usually originates from problems with interaction between certain groups of people and the societies in which they live. Those problems very often result from difficulties that some people face trying to integrate into the community and adjust to it. Sometimes these people have to struggle against stereotyping or racism, which generates profound hatred inside them against the society that does not accept them. In this paper, some social theories by Marx, Durkheim and Weber will be used to illustrate the process by which people become terrorists and explain the development of large terrorist gangs.
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) is the founder of modern sociology. He is a “Cautiously optimistic about the direction of change of society” ...