Kenya. The Makings of a #TerrorHotbed (PDF)

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2017 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: A, , language: English, abstract: Terrorism is a common contemporary phenomenon and no nation, great or not, can boast of being free of, or immune to, it. The only thing which distinguished States, on matters terrorism, is their degree of susceptibility to terror attacks i.e. the frequency with which they experience terrorism and the impact/severity of these experiences. All of us have experienced terrorism, be it directly or indirectly, and so know a thing or two on this is important, even if only for engaging in constructive deliberations on the subject.

The project seeks to establish whether Kenya is a terror hotbed, or not; and If it is, then why or rather, what makes it one; but on the other hand, if it is not, then what is it and better yet, why is it not. I intend to accomplish this fete by conducting a critical study of terrorism in Kenya, a first for the nation if I may add.

Unlike traditional methods of studying terrorism, critical terrorism studies is a research orientation that is willing to challenge dominant knowledge and understandings of terrorism, is sensitive to the politics of labeling in the terrorism field, is transparent about its own values and political standpoints, adheres to a set of responsible research ethics, and is committed to a broadly defined notion of emancipation.

By adhering to the two most essential epistemological perspectives of critical terrorism studies i.e. critical realism and reflectivism, the project makes references to historical sources, relies on facts, and analyzes hard data in a bid to reveal the underlying socio-economic and political realities, within seemingly neutral knowledge, that have long informed acts of terrorism in Kenya.