The Making of Terrorism in Pakistan: Historical and Social Roots of Extremism

This book explains the origins and nature of terrorism in Pakistan, and examines the social, political and economic factors that have contributed to the rise of political violence there.

Since the 9/11, the state of Pakistan has come to be regarded as the epicentre of terrorist activity committed in the name of Islam. One line of argument suggests that terrorism in Pakistan has been manufactured to suit the interests of mundane political and class interests. A logical consequence of this argument is that the most effective way of combating terrorism in Pakistan lies in addressing the underlying political, social and economic problems facing the country.

After exploring the root causes of terrorism in Pakistan, the author goes on to relate the historical narrative of the development of the Pakistani state to the theories and questions raised by Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS) scholars. The book will therefore make an important contribution to CTS scholarship as well as presenting an analysis of the many complex factors that have shaped the rise of Pakistani terrorism.

This book will be of great interest to students of Critical Terrorism Studies, Asian Politics, Security Studies and IR in general.

Eamon Murphy is Adjunct Professor of History and International Relations at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. He is co-editor of Contemporary State Terrorism: Theory and Cases (Routledge, 2010).