The CSPS conflict cluster invites you all to a public lecture by Prof Sluka from Massey University on Thursday 11 January from 15:30 to 17:00 at Leeuwenborch C75. The talk is followed by drinks.

We hope to see you all there. Below is a short abstract.

The Political Propaganda of the ‘Terrorism Myth’

While ‘terrorism’ has arguably emerged as the most important political signifier of our times, anthropologists who have studied political violence have been strongly critical of the application or abuse of this concept. In particular, they have been critical of how governments have used it as a propaganda weapon to ‘manufacture consent’ for military intervention and to establish a ‘culture of fear’. In conjuncture, the growing academic subfield of ‘terrorism studies’ has emerged as part of a veritable ‘terrorism industry’ in support of such state-dominated ideas. The talk presents an overview of critical anthropological perspectives on terrorism as a constituted reality, a sociocultural construct, and a dangerous political myth or ‘scam.’

Dr. Sluka is an associate professor in political anthropology from Massey University, New Zealand. As a critical scholar he studies armed resistance, state terror, terrorism, and counterterrorism. He has worked on the conflict in Northern Ireland and published widely on issues related to managing danger in ethnographic fieldwork.