What is Laura Sjober's view of the scholarly literature that covers women and terrorism? Do you agree with Sjober's view that the field would be enriched through feminist perspectives? Why or why not?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Studies of women in terrorism are generally ignored, and when females are discussed it is in gendered terms.
• They are not "terrorists," they are "women involved in terrorism.".
• There are exceptions, but most scholars and analysts conclude that women play some type of nebulous role in terrorism.
• They cannot define the role, and they do not seem to care to do so.
• Media presentations follow the same track – women are neither significant nor worthy of analysis.
• Sjoberg vehemently disagrees with such characterizations.
• Women do have a special place in terrorism; women are terrorists just like men who do the same thing.
• There are terrorists who happen to be women, and they have been around for quite some time.
• There is also no feminist perspective of terrorism; there are feminists who study terrorism in a variety of ways.
• Sjoberg says that scholars and other researchers are reluctant to study political and criminal violence among women because it violates idealized notions of womanhood.
• Their behavior should be studied from a variety of feminist perspectives, Sjoberg concludes. Such literature would enrich the field.