How 9-11 Changed Criminology Studies
There can be no doubt that the way in which we view the world changed forever following 9/11. No further details need be given; the date is enough. This is not to say that terrorism was introduced into the world on this day; sadly, terrorism has existed for many years, and the term has been used in English since 1795. However, there can be no argument that it reached new heights that day.
It's a sign of the times that Terrorism is a topic now studied on a range of academic courses, from Art courses and American studies, to on-line degrees in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Some might argue that we should not over intellectualize the subject, that we should be looking for solutions to the issues rather than trying to theorize. This is a valid argument, but what happens in academic circles will filter back down into wider society, including schools. There is a growing awareness that it is a topic that young people need to be given space to discuss, primarily in Citizenship lessons, in order to attempt to make some sense of the world in which they are growing up.
Terrorism is an incredibly complex subject. It is said that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Whilst very few condone the tragedy that followed 9/11, it would be too simplistic to ignore the myriad of wider issues in contemporary international politics. What is not debatable though, is that for those of us who stand in the middle, we know that we live in troubled times.
A further point to consider is that at the most simplistic level, it could be argued that terrorism itself ultimately stems from a huge lack of communication. Hopefully if the subject is studied and debated, we might be hope to put some faith in younger generations leading the way towards ending the causes and effects of terrorism around the world.
According to Wikipedia, following the events of 9/11, "There is no internationally agreed legal definition" of the term. Whilst this might be the case, coming to a better understanding of the issues can sometimes help; it's a way to place events in context even if we will never fully comprehend the actions. A growing number of degree courses offer the chance to gain some level of intellectual awareness around the complexities of this topic. Interestingly, fifteen or twenty years ago the subject of terrorism might only have been studied as part of a specialist degree in Peace or War studies. (However confusing, the titles of these degrees they ultimately had the same outcome!)
Perhaps we might hold out some hope that with increasing numbers of people studying the complexities of terrorism and counter terrorism issues we will move closer towards finding solutions. It would be nice to imagine a world in which graphic images showing the aftermath of bombings as the result of wars or terrorist attacks are a thing of the past.
Whilst this might sound idealistic, what is the alternative?
How 9-11 Changed Criminology Studies
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