ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some of the fundamental challenges facing historians examining modern terrorism and considers some of the ways that they have engaged and contributed to deeper understandings of the phenomenon. It discusses the search for definition and the challenges facing historians (and the humanities) engaging in a field largely dominated by the social sciences. The chapter also considers the two primary ways that historians have addressed terrorism and constructed their narratives, suggesting that, at present, a historiography of terrorism remains underdeveloped. It examines the current historical perspective on terrorism, war, and insurgency, which of course are intimately linked. Historians have detailed many different terrorisms rooted in particular periods, contexts, and often unique circumstances, necessitating unique categorizations. The challenge of identifying a terrorism historiography, or even perhaps even a subfield, is further compounded by the nature of historical debate and discussion. In the aftermath of 9/11 and the subsequent Global War on Terror, scholarly interest in terrorism increased dramatically.
