Description
Frank Furedi argues that Western culture appears to feed off a diet of terror and inadvertently offers its enemies an invitation to be terrorised. We have not developed an intellectual framework in which to be able to confront the fear of terrorism. The language we use betrays confusion about the threat we face and therefore undermines our capacity to engage with it. Beginning with the question of ‘Why do they hate us?’ we find ourselves unsure of who ‘they’ are. Even more unsettling is the realisation that we are not quite sure of who ‘we’ are. In this startling and original book Frank Furedi engages with some of the most fundamental questions confronting society today.
We are in a global conflict that appears so confusing that we are not even certain what to call it. The failure to conceptualize the issues at stake is demonstrated by the absence of consensus around even what words to describe the meaning of the present conflict and enemy. Suddenly governments stop speaking about the War on Terror and talk about the Long War. The shift in terminology often betrays confusion about the issues at stake. Lack of clarity about what this war is about, who are the protagonists, its scope and duration dominates discussions on this conflict. Meaningless terms often represent an attempt to evade. In this case they express confusion and the inability to make sense of life in the twenty-first century.
Table of Contents
Preface – Why Do They Hate Us?
Beyond Comprehension
Perception of the Threat
New Terrorism – a Self-fulfilling Prophecy
The Expanding Empire of Unknown Dangers
A Threat Beyond Meaning
Enduring Vulnerability
Perceptions of Terror and a Clash of Cultural Attitudes Towards Risk
So What is the Problem of Terrorism?
Refusing to be Terrorized
Author(s)
Frank Furedi, Frank Furedi is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is the author of numerous books including Culture of Fear, Invitation to Terror and Paranoid Parenting, all published by Continuum.
Reviews
"Author and University
of Kent sociologist
Furedi (Culture of Fear Revisited) stakes out a bold position in this
exploration of the War on Terror—in particular, its 'self-fulfilling prophecy'
effect, inspiring fear and passivity regardless of the actual danger. The only
thing new about the 'new terrorism,' Furedi claims, is the perception that it’s
any more sophisticated or effective than it used to be. Citing the resilience
of populations who coped with attacks far beyond the capabilities of today’s
terrorists—such as the Nazi blitz and the Allied bombings of Hamburg
and Hiroshima—Furedi
argues convincingly that 'terrorism cannot seriously threaten the integrity of
society nor undermine the way of life of a nation.' Though the British and
American governments do have that power, Furedi contends that the War on Terror
is less a deliberate effort to cow or manipulate than it is a sincere but
wrong-headed attempt to mobilize popular support—rooted in fact and genuine concern—by
leaders who don’t understand that 'society can absorb occasional acts of
terror,' but becomes disoriented and demoralized living in a protracted state
of fear. Referencing hundreds of independent studies, government reports and
media commentary, Furedi contributes an insightful argument for a realistic,
level-headed and self-aware approach to the problem of terrorism." (Dec.)
–Publishers Weekly
,
"Invitation to Terror has a relevence to policy makers far outside of the security arena"--Tribune
Tribune,
"He (Frand Furedi) is good at noticing history repeating itself - for example, in 'the periodic discovery that terrorism represents a new and unprecedented danger' - and interrogates usefully the notions of 'vulnerability' or being 'at risk'"--Saturday Guardian
Saturday Guardian,
"This book is fresh, well written, awash with lightly worn learning and so confident in its perspective that the argument... gathers pace with such vigour as each chapter rolls by that the book's end it seems well-nigh irrefutable"--Times Higher Educational Supplement
Times Higher Educational Supplement,
''Invitation to Terror is a bold attempt to face important and disturbing questions, and hits a number of its targets''
John Dunn, Times Literary Supplement, August 2008
,
"Furedi is a sociologist, adept at the analysis of culture... Invitation to Terror is a bold attempt to face important and disturbing questions"
The Times Literary Supplement, August 2008
,