Terrorism on Trial: Political Violence and Abolitionist Futures

Terrorism on Trial is a sociological examination of terrorism prosecution in U.S. courts that argues they are increasingly used as counterterrorism tools to incapacitate terrorists, maintain national security operations, and produce certain narratives of conflict. Nicole Nguyen advocates for a rethinking of popular understandings of political violence and its root causes, exposing how dominant academic discourses, geographical imaginations, and social processes have shaped terrorism prosecutions. She also explores how these criminal proceedings bear on the lives of defendants and families, seeking to understand how legal processes unevenly criminalize and disempower communities of color. The book encourages readers to consider anti-imperial abolitionist alternatives to the criminalization, prosecution, and incarceration of individuals marked as real or perceived terrorists, with the goal of building toward a less violent and more liberatory world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2023
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Terrorism on Trial is a groundbreaking sociological examination of the prosecution of terrorism in United States courts. Instead of serving as the ultimate arbiter of justice, these courts are increasingly perceived as counterterrorism tools that can incapacitate terrorists, maintain national security operations domestically, and shape certain narratives of conflict. This book delves into the contemporary role that these courts play in the global war on terror and their utilization as a weapon of war.

Author Nicole Nguyen advocates for a reevaluation of popular perceptions of political violence and its underlying causes. She encourages readers to explore alternative approaches, such as anti-imperial abolitionism, to the criminalization, prosecution, and incarceration of individuals labeled as terrorists. Nguyen exposes how dominant academic discourses, geographical imaginations, and social processes have shaped terrorism prosecutions. She also highlights how our fundamental misunderstanding of terrorism has led to punitive responses that fail to address the true sources of violence, such as military interventions, colonial occupations, and tyrannical regimes.

Furthermore, Nguyen examines the impact of these criminal proceedings on the lives of defendants and their families. She seeks to understand how legal processes unfairly criminalize and disempower communities of color. By retheorizing terrorism as political violence, Terrorism on Trial invites readers to critically examine the role of power and politics in the emergence of armed resistance. The book aims to address the root causes of political violence and work towards a less violent and more liberatory world.

This comprehensive analysis provides a valuable contribution to the study of terrorism and counterterrorism. It sheds light on the complex dynamics between law, power, and politics and challenges readers to think critically about the implications of these developments for global security and human rights.

Weight: 558g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517914394