ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the social scientists who have been appointed as independent experts as part of the public prosecutor's office for terrorism investigations. Their role is to provide unbiased knowledge to analyse the religious, political and social logics that drive the behaviour and discourse of terrorists. The case studies help to situate the work of the cultural experts and their ethical positioning as independent and unbiased scientists. After the deadly terrorist attacks in France in 2015 and 2016, the judicial institution recruited researchers from several disciplines to enhance the effectiveness of magistrates in understanding and evaluating the increasing threat. These experts (historians, anthropologists, geopolitical scientists) work in the prosecutor's office and produce analyses that are communicated to the prosecutors (and to the judges upon request). Experts working with the investigations judges must be particularly aware of their ethical obligations.
