Terror and Modernity

by Donatella Di Cesare, Murtha Baca (Translator)

We are inclined to see terrorist attacks as an aberration, a violent incursion into our lives that bears no intrinsic relation to the fundamental features of modern societies. But does this view misconstrue the relationship between terror and modernity?

In this book, philosopher Donatella Di Cesare takes a historical approach and argues that terror is not a new phenomenon, but rather one that has always been a key part of modernity. At its most basic level, terrorism is about the struggle for power and sovereignty. The growing concentration of power in the hands of the state, which is a constitutive feature of modern societies, sows the seeds of terrorism, which is deployed as a weapon by those who are exposed to the violence of the state and feel that they have no other recourse.

As Di Cesare illustrates her argument with examples ranging from the Red Brigades and 9/11 to jihadism and ISIS, her sophisticated analysis will appeal to anyone who wishes to understand contemporary terrorism more deeply, as well as to students and scholars of philosophy and political theory.

Genres: Philosophy

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2017

About the author

Donatella Di Cesare (Rome, April 29, 1956) is an Italian philosopher, essayist and columnist who teaches Theoretical Philosophy at the "La Sapienza" University of Rome. She is one of the most present philosophers in the Italian and international public debate, both academic and media, collaborates with several newspapers and magazines including "L’Espresso" and "il Manifesto". Her books and essays are translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Danish, Croatian, Polish, Finnish, Norwegian, Turkish, Chinese.

Reviews

[Federica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lettura iniziata dopo essere andata alla presentazione di questo libro da parte dell'autrice stessa.
Il saggio è discretamente interessante, tanto nell'esposizione di una breve storia del terrore e del terrorismo quanto nella delineazione del pensiero dell'autrice a proposito. Una lettura tutto sommato veloce, piacevole, anche pragmatica o realistica oserei dire, dal momento che avanza le proprie idee analizzando i dati concreti del fenomeno.
Certo, non un libro che mi ha cambiato la vita o le idee sulla questione, ma sicuramente una lettura valida sull'argomento.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels like this book should have been longer, there were so many concepts, analyses and thoughts wrapped into so few pages that it ended up feeling very disjointed. Excellent look into the role of Russian literature and theologians into the evolution of terrorism, but again, it felt very crammed for such intriguing ideas.