Veilleux-Lepage (2020). How terror evolves - the emergence and
spread of terrorist techniques
Chapter 2.3 Units of Analysis
> an evolutionary explanation begins with the need to clearly identify an appropriate unit of
inheritance → the identification of an adequate and appropriate unit of inheritance has been fraught
with the conceptual problems for both biological and social scientists
Sets of criteria to evaluate the appropriateness of a unit of inheritance:
1. the unit must have a discrete and definable beginning, an equally discrete and definite
ending and sufficient stability
2. the unit must manifest the essential properties that permit them to function as an
evolutionary entity with the capability to act as causal agent in the process of Dawrinian
selection
Difficulties in selecting appropriate units to survey techniques of political violence are complicated by
disagreements in the field of terrorism studies
> Consequently, nearly all scholarly inquiry within the field of terrorism studies is bound to include a
discussion of the ‘problem of definition’.
> doubt whether settled definition is even necessary
> Terrorism subject to three ‘sins to which complex concepts are heir’
1. terrorism has become contested concept
2. terrorism as concepts suffers from ‘border’ and ‘membership’ problems (some acts are
considered terrorism, others aren’t) → example given of mass shooting in USA which caused
debate on whether to call it terrorism or not (mostly in media coverage → racism)
3. ‘Stretching’ of the term (stretched to the point of ambiguity and imprecision) → subjectivity
of the term and used for a multitude of events
a. use of the concept within governmental context is deeply political
b. this use has rendered the term meaningless
Tilly (2004): ‘in social science useful definitions should point to detectable phenomena that exhibit
some degree of causal coherence – in principle all instances should display common properties that
embody or result from similar cause-effect relations’
Techniques as a unit of inheritance
> techniques of contention
> contentious politics involves the conflict between ‘those who are more or less satisfied with the
existing social order that want to conserve it and those for whom the existing order does not suit and
so desires or want to change it’
- population motivated by real or perceived grievances → power holders have wronged them,
thus the groups engage in claim-making actions to improve the conditions of said group
- claim-makers rational actor assessing the environment and then selecting a technique
, Page 14-32
> Claim-making techniques are in their barest form a set of instruction to manipulate
environments
> claim-makers select their techniques, which he calls “tactics”, from the determined “repertoire”
that already exists → author considers techniques which include deployment of threats and
violence to be ‘terroristic’
He argues that the study of terrorism should focus on the nature of the technique rather than on
the characteristics of the agents or organizations responsible for it. Advantages of such approach:
1. today’s terrorist organisations often become tomorrow’s politics parties (IRA)
2. most terrorist organizations can just as easily be characterized as ‘social movement
organisations that happen to employ terrorism as a strategic choice’
3. the attributes of techniques of contention should not be conflated with the attributes of
(groups of) actors.
Seeing terrorism as part of wider social movement, advantages:
- allows one to avoid ahistoricity and lack of contextual rigour
- approach does not solely focus on claim-makers but also on state practices and their effect
Chapter 2.4 Techniques of contentions and terrorism
> the notion that techniques of political contention undergo changes is not a completely novel idea
> Repertoires of contention can be understood as a collection of claim-making strategies and
techniques that a given group knows how to use and may choose to deploy to make a claim →
repertoires of contention represent only small subsets of all techniques available
Elements definition of repertoires of contention:
- repertoires are temporal and spatial. They are associated with specific historical periods
within specific societies
- both the makeup of the repertoires, and therefore, choices of techniques are constrained,
meaning groups or individuals will routinely return to tried-and tested techniques.
- repertoires of contention do not emerge out of abstract thinking but, rather, out of struggle,
activities of everyday life and, perhaps most importantly, out of interaction with an
‘adversary’
Modularity
> Tilly views changes to repertoires as glacial, only resulting from major structural changes.
- 18th century England: food riots, threatening, attacks, etc
- 19th century England: public meetings, petitions, demonstrations, etc
> demonstrates that repertoires of contention develop and adapt over long periods of time in
relation to specific historical settings
- fails to explain why certain techniques of contention arise and disappear
Although specific techniques of contention are products of specific contentious relationships and
time periods, it does not necessarily follow that such techniques are contained within only one
society at a given time. Instead, they are employed across a multitude of diversified contexts.
> techniques that spread beyond specific social context are ‘modular’ techniques
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