What is terrorism? Concepts, definitions and classifications

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the meaning of terrorism, with a view to highlighting the main hurdles in the way of creating a working definition, as well as the necessity of developing definitions and classifications of this phenomenon. Design methodology/Approach – This paper provides an overview of the literature on terrorism as a social/political phenomenon. It is therefore based on secondary sources. Findings – While most literature on the topic finds it pointless or impossible to define terrorism, here we argue just the opposite. Common critiques of current definitions may be overcome by using multiple definitions and classifications. Research limitations/Implications – The paper provides the methodological foundations for a comprehensive theoretical analysis of terrorism. Originality/value of the paper – The paper applies insights from methodology of social sciences to the problem of defining terrorism