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This book introduces a constructivist approach to the study of terrorism and shows how language in the media affects our perceptions of ´terrorists´ and how particular constructions of ´terrorist´ automatically make certain counter-terrorism policies possible, logical and seemingly appropriate.

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Introduction: The ´Terrorist´: Words, Labels and Definitions ´New Terrorism´ Discourse ´New Counter-Terrorism´ Options Materialist Terrorism Studies: Researching the Unresearchable? Constructivist Terrorism Research: The Role of Discourse and Predication The Tabloid Terrorist in Germany and the UK Metaphors, Predicates and Policy Implications Conclusion: The Tabloid Terrorist and Future Research Appendix References

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´Alexander Spencer successfully establishes constructivist terrorism research as nothing less than an alternative to traditional and critical terrorism studies.´ - Professor Christopher Daase, Chair for International Organisations, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

´This commendable book provides useful insights into how terrorism is developing in the popular imagination´ - Michael Higgins in West European Politics

´The book provides interesting inroads, especially in demarcating the difference between critical but still materialist terrorism researchers and constructivist yet critical proponents of the field´

- Alexander Brand in Political Studies Review Vol 10, Issue 1, 2012.

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ALEXANDER SPENCER is Assistant Professor at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany.

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