Description
Since its inception in the early 1970s, the field of Terrorism Studies has been largely shaped by orthodox perspectives. Until 2007, scholarly discussions on this phenomenon were primarily confined to two peer-reviewed journals, namely Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and Terrorism and Political Violence. While significant advancements have been made, the substantial resources invested in Orthodox Terrorism Studies (OTS) have failed to address all existing gaps in the field. In this context, a paradigmatic shift occurred with the emergence of Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS). This alternative approach challenged various aspects of OTS, including its methodological and analytical limitations. Furthermore, CTS criticised OTS for its overemphasis on non-state terrorism, which often aligned with the agendas of nation-states, while neglecting the issue of state terrorism. Such criticisms led to the establishment of the peer-reviewed journal, Critical Studies on Terrorism. The clash between OTS and CTS has manifested not only in research but also in everyday spaces, such as classrooms. This paper aims to analyse the syllabuses developed by UK-based Terrorism Studies educators to assess whether the OTS-CTS dichotomy is reflected in their teaching approaches.
