Abstract
The article argues that individualist accounts cannot adequately explain the social dynamics of terrorist behavior as they turn analyses of terrorism into analyses of terrorists. A relational approach that concentrates on the social relations between terrorist organizations and their members would be able to do this, however. Therefore, the article presents a formal analysis that makes the “secret society” of terrorists the lynchpin of an explanation of how terrorist organizations shape the behavioral conditions of volunteers and suicide terrorists in a manner that triggers a type of behavior we might call terrorism.
Résumé
Les approches individualistes ne parviennent pas à produire d’explications satisfaisantes des dynamiques sociales qui sous-tendent les actes terroristes puisqu’elles ne fournissent pas d’analyses du terrorisme, mais des analyses sur les terroristes. C’est pourquoi cet article s’appuie sur l’analyse formelle de la « société secrète » telle que l’entend Simmel pour développer une explication sociologique qui éclaire la manière dont les relations sociales au sein des groupes terroristes façonne des structures d’opportunité de sorte à déclencher un acte qui peut être caractérisé de terroriste.
Zusammenfassung
Individualistische Ansätze können die sozialen Dynamiken terroristischen Handelns nur unzureichend erklären, da sie keine Terrorismusanalysen, sondern Analysen von Terroristen liefern. Der Aufsatz geht deshalb von Georg Simmels formaler Analyse der „Geheimen Gesellschaft“ aus und entwickelt auf dieser Grundlage eine soziologische Erklärung dafür, wie die sozialen Beziehungen innerhalb solcher Gruppierungen die Opportunitätsstrukturen ihrer Mitglieder so strukturieren, dass ein Handeln entsteht, das wir als terroristisch bezeichnen können.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Liste des Références
Atran (Scott), 2003, “Genesis of Suicide Terrorism”, Science, 299, p. 1534–1539.
Bloom (Mia), 2005, Dying to Kill. The Allure of Suicide Missions. New York, Columbia University Press.
Bunge (Mario), 1997, “Mechanism and Explanation”, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 27, p. 410–465.
Conroy (John), 2000, Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People, Berkeley, Los Angeles & London, University of California Press.
Crenshaw (Martha), 1998, “The Logic of Terrorism: Terrorist Behavior as a Product of Strategic Choice”, in Reich (Walter), ed., Origins of Terrorism. Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind, Baltimore/London, Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 7–24.
Crenshaw (M.), 2011, Explaining Terrorism. Causes, Processes, and Consequences, London/New York, Routledge.
Crenshaw (M.), 2012, “Decision to use Terrorism”, in Horgan (John) and Braddock (Kurt), eds, Terrorism Studies. A Reader, London/New York, Routledge, p. 250–259.
Della Porta (Donatella), 1995, Social Movements, Political Violence and the State, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Della Porta (D.), 2012, “On Individual Motivations in Underground Political Organizations”, in Horgan (John) and Braddock (Kurt), eds, Terrorism Studies. A Reader, London, New York, Routledge, p. 231–249.
Elliott (Tim), 2003, “Sri Lanka — a Land in Ruin”, New Zealand Herald, March 15th.
Elster (Jon), 2005, “Motivations and Beliefs in Suicide Missions”, in Gambetta (Diego), ed., Making Sense of Suicide Missions, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 233–258.
Gambetta (Diego), 2005a, “Can We Make Sense of Suicide Missions”, in ID., ed., Making Sense of Suicide Missions, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 259–299.
Gambetta (D.), 2005b, “Foreword”, in ID., ed., Making Sense of Suicide Missions, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. V–X.
Hassan (Nasra), 2006, “Suicide Terrorism”, in Richardson (Louise), dir., The Roots of Terrorism, New York/Milton Park, Routledge, p. 29–42.
Hellmann-Rajanayagam (Dagmar), 1994, The Tamil Tigers: Armed Struggle for Identity, Stuttgart, Franz Steiner Verlag.
Hess (Henner), 1988, “Terrorismus und Terrorismus-Diskurs”, in Hess (Henner), Moerings (Martin), Paas (Dieter), Scheerer (Sebastian) and Steinert (Heinz), eds, Angriff auf das Herz des Staates. Soziale Entwicklung und Terrorismus, vol. 1, Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp, p. 55–74.
Hess (Henner), Moerings (Martin), Paas (Dieter), Scheerer (Sebastian) and Steinert (Heinz), eds, 1988, Angriff auf das Herz des Staates. Soziale Entwicklung und Terrorismus, 2 vol., Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp.
Hoffmann (Bruce), 2006, Inside Terrorism. Revised and Expanded Edition, London, Victor Gollancz Ltd.
Hopgood (Stephen), 2005, “Tamil Tigers, 1987–2002”, in Gambetta (Diego), ed., Making Sense of Suicide Missions, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 43–76.
Jamieson (Alison), 1990, “Entry, Discipline and Exit in the Italian Red Brigades”, Terrorism and Political Violence, 2, p. 1–20.
Khosrokhavar (Farhad), 2005, Suicide Bombers. Allah’s New Martyrs, London, Ann Arbor, Pluto Press.
Kraushaar (Wolfgang), ed., 2006, Die RAF und der linke Terrorismus. 2 vol., Hamburg, Edition Hamburg.
Mackert (Jürgen), 2012, “Social Closure”, in Manza (Jeff), ed., Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology, New York, Oxford University Press.
Manconi (Luigi), 2008, Terroristi Italiani. Le Brigate Rosse e la Guerra Totale 1970–2008, Milano, Rizzoli.
Mayntz (Renate), 2004, “Organizational Forms of Terrorism. Hierachy, Network, or a Type sui generis”, MPifG Discussion Paper 04/4. http://www.mpifg.de/pu/dp_abstracts/dp04-4.asp
Merari (Ariel), 1998, “The Readiness to Kill and Die: Suicidal Terrorism in the Middle East”, in Reich (Walter), ed., Origins of Terrorism. Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind, Baltimore/London, Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 192–207.
Merton (Robert K.), 1936, “The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action”, American Sociological Review, 1, p. 894–904.
Merton (R. K.), 1957, “The Role-Set: Problems in Sociological Theory” British Journal of Sociology, 8, p. 106–120.
Nedelmann (Birgitta), 2006, “Georg Simmel (1858–1918)”, in Kaesler (Dirk), ed., Klassiker der Soziologie. Von Auguste Comte bis Alfred Schütz, München, C.H. Beck, p. 128–150.
Neidhardt (Friedhelm), 1981, “Über Zerfall, Eigendynamik und Institutionalisierbarkeit absurder Prozesse. Notizen am Beispiel einer terroristischen Gruppe”, in Alemann (Heine von) and Thurn (H. P.), eds, Soziologie in weltbürgerlicher Absicht, Opladen, Westdeutscher Verlag, p. 245–257.
Palmer (David S.), 2007, “Terror in the Name of Mao: Revolution and Response in Peru”, in Art (Robert J.) and Richardson (Louise), eds, Democracy and Counterterrorism. Lessons from the Past, Washington, United States Institute of Peace, p. 195–220.
Pedahzur (Ami), 2005, Suicide Terrorism. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Post (Jerrold M.), 2005, “When Hatred is Bred in the Bone. Psycho-cultural Foundations of Contemporary Terrorism”, Political Psychology, 26, p. 615–636.
Post, (J. M.), 2006, “The Psychological Dynamics of Terrorism”, in Richardson (Louise), ed., The Roots of Terrorism, New York/Milton Park, Routledge, p. 17–28.
Post (J. M.), 2007, The Mind of the Terrorist. The Psychology of Terrorism from IRA to al-Qaeda, New York, Palgrave Macmillan.
Rapaport (David C.), 1984, “Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions”, American Political Science Review, 78, p. 658–677.
Richardson (Louise), 2006, What Terrorists Want. Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat, New York, Random House.
Scheerer (Sebastian), 1988, “Ein theoretisches Modell zur Erklärung sozialrevolutionärer Gewalt”, in Hess (Henner), Moerings (Martin), Paas (Dieter), Scheerer (Sebastian) and Steinert (Heinz), eds, Angriff auf das Herz des Staates. Soziale Entwicklung und Terrorismus, vol. 1, Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp, p. 75–189.
Simmel (Georg), 1906, “The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies”, American Journal of Sociology, 11, p. 441–498.
Smelser (Neil J.), 2010, The Faces of Terrorism. Social and Psychological Dimensions, Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Stern (Jessica), 2003, Terror in the Name of God. Why Religious Militants Kill, New York, Harper Collins Publishers.
Tilly (Charles), 2003, The Politics of Collective Violence, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Tilly (C.), 2005a, “Terror as Strategy and Relational Process”, International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 46, p. 11–32.
Tilly (C.), 2005b, Identities, Boundaries and Social Ties, Boulder, Paradigm Publishers.
Weber (Max), 1978, Economy and Society. An Outline of Interpretive Sociology. Roth (Guenther) and Wittich (Claus), eds, Berkeley, Los Angeles & London, University of California Press.
Welzer (Harald), 2005, Täter. Wie aus ganz normalen Menschen Massenmörder werden, Frankfurt am Main, Fischer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Jürgen Mackert, born in 1962, is professor of sociology at the University of Potsdam, Germany. His research focuses on sociological theory and methodology, on the sociology of violence, and on political economy. He has recently published “Social Closure” in Manza Jeff, ed., Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology, New York, Oxford University Press, 2012.
About this article
Cite this article
Mackert, J. The secret society and the social dynamics of terrorist behavior. Rev synth 135, 331–359 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11873-014-0261-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11873-014-0261-z