Terrorism and an Autoethnography of 9/11

Abstract

Most students of the subject of terrorism are greatly informed by the literature about the diverse causes and impacts of terrorism that is generally described as premeditated politically or ideologically motivated violent acts intended to instill fear in the civilian population to engender political or social change. These studies however, whether historical or theoretical, deal with terrorism at the societal level and provide limited insights into its harmful impacts on the lives of ordinary people at the ground level. In contrast, here the author offers an autoethnography and visual ethnography of his experience and interpretation of “9/11” to bring the experience of terror to a more local and personal level.

Keywords

terrorism 9/11 autoethnography visual ethnography

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