ANTHROPOLOGY 4701.001
The Anthropology of Violence, Terror, and Terrorism
Fall 2011; Physics 104
MWF 10:00 – 10:50
Dr. Doug Henry
Monday, Wednesday 1:00 – 2:30, Chilton 330H, or by
appointment 565-3836 email: dhenry@unt.edu
Teaching Assistant: Victoria Schlieder
Office Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, 8:30-9:30, Tuesday 4:00 – 5:00pm
Or by appointment victoriaschlieder@my.unt.edu
Instructor:
Office hours:
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
This course will offer a broad examination of violence, terror, and terrorism in cross-cultural
context. It has been designed to give you grounding in the basic concepts in defining the social
creation of fear, as well as the historical perspectives of specific case studies from around the
world and within the U.S. We will critically analyze the way that social structures and the media
create, maintain, and change the experience and expression of terror. We’ll have discussions of
“structural violence,” “state violence,” human rights, and survival. Finally, there will be
opportunity for students to divide into groups to pursue and present their own research on issues
of violence and terror.
Note: I want to structure this as a seminar-style course. This means that sometimes I’ll come to
class with only a vague outline of a topic, rather than a polished lecture. I want class to be driven
by our joint analysis of the readings and other topics. This means you have to keep up! Pleaseif you haven’t done the reading or aren’t prepared to discuss it, don’t come to class.
REQUIRED READINGS:
Gourevitch, Philip
1998 Wish to Inform you that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families. New
York: Farrar Straus and Giroux.
The bulk of readings for this course will be available electronically through the course website.
You should be able to access it by entering your student ID through UNT’s “E-Campus:”
https://ecampus.unt.edu/webct/entryPage.dowebct. In addition, there are several websites that
you will need to read through completely (see syllabus). You can print the articles on any
standard printer, either at home, in the library (where you need a copy card), or in a UNT
computer lab (print for free).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
This course is by nature both intense, time consuming, and a mixture of depressing and inspiring.
The readings are scheduled by topic; you should have each day’s readings done before class that
day. The lectures and class films will hopefully enhance the readings, but will not simply
summarize them. You will be held responsible for familiarity with all three.
There will be three quizzes, one project, and one final paper. Quizzes will be multiple choice,
short answer, and essay. Attendance is required. You may miss up to 3 days excused without
affecting your grade, but the 4th absence will lower your overall grade by one level (A becomes
B, B becomes C, etc.). Excused absences will ONLY be granted to those who call or email
and let me know BEFORE class. Attendance will count 16% of your final grade.
3 Tests (15 points each)
1 Presentation
1 Paper
Attendance and participation
=
=
=
=
45 points
15 points
24 points
16 points
Make-up exams will not be given, unless you approach me at the beginning of the course with a
conflicting date. The final week of classes will be scheduled for you to use this time in writing
your papers instead of attending class. No late papers will be accepted—NO EXCEPTIONS!
PAPER/ PROJECT
Students will get to choose a “case study” for further investigation that corresponds to a class
topic. Two students will work together on a chosen case study, and present their findings to the
class together in a 10-15 minute presentation. You should pull slides or pictures off the Internet
or from other sources to put in a Power Point presentation accompanying your talk. In addition,
each student will have to do a paper summarizing a topic of interest- this can be either the case
study they already presented to the class (only in more detail) OR a different topic entirely- as
long as it’s approved by me first. Papers should be done individually, though they may
incorporate material that was jointly presented. Papers should be 10-12 pages, typed in 12 point,
Times New Roman font, with no more than 1.25” margins. They should be formally writtenhave a bibliography, with at least 6 internal citations, and HAVE NO GRAMMATICAL
MISTAKES.
Papers and Presentations should cover WHAT HAPPENED, WHO WAS INVOLVED, WHEN,
WHY IT HAPPENED (what the motivations of actors were), and-most importantly- HOW it
fits within the topics we’ve discussed or read about, in class. The “how” is particularly
important if you want the highest possible grade.
Note: The Anthropology Department does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s
disability as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Our program provides academic
adjustments or help to individuals with disabilities in its programs and activities. Attempts will
be made to meet all certified requirements.
Your primary responsibility as a student is to master the material presented in class and in the
readings. This is easily achieved, with steady work. Come to class and do the readings! At
times concepts or issues raised might be unclear. Students come from a variety of backgrounds
and have various experience, strengths, and weaknesses. If you have ANY questions or feel
unsure about any class material, see me after class or during office hours as soon as you realize
there may be a problem. DON’T wait until the end of the term. Please realize that my goal as an
instructor is not just to grade, evaluate, and test, but to help you gain a valuable life perspective
to carry outside the class, into whatever you do.
Plagiarism and Cheating. The Department of Anthropology does not tolerate plagiarism,
cheating, or helping others to cheat. Plagiarism is defined as misrepresenting the work of others
(whether published or not) as your own. It may be inadvertent or intentional. Any facts,
statistics, quotations, or paraphrasing of any information that is not common knowledge, should
be cited. Students suspected of any of these will be provided the opportunity for a hearing; if
found guilty they can receive an automatic “F” in the course. In addition, I reserve the right to
pursue further disciplinary action within the UNT legal system, which may result in your
dismissal from the university. For more information on paper writing, including how to avoid
plagiarism, and how to use citations, see http://www.unt.edu/anthropology/writing.htm. For
information on the University’s policies regarding academic integrity and dishonesty, see the
UNT Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities, http://www.unt.edu/csrr/.
COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Date
Topic
Assignment
(to be read before class)
Section 1
Orientations and Definitions
This section will cover fundamental definitions to introduce us to the topics of violence and
terror, and to the multitude of motivations behind terroristic acts. We will examine some of the
anthropological theories of violence and aggression, and some of the historical precedents in the
creation of a state of terror.
8/26
Orientation / Introduction
8/29
Anthropology and Violence I
Sluka
8/31
Anthropology and Violence II
Ferguson
9/2
Film: One day in September I (45 min)
9/5
Labor Day (no class)
9/7
Film: One day in September II (45 min)
9/9
case studies
Bourgois
 FMLN-Government violence (El Salvador)
 Taliban rule in Afghanistan
 UFF/ IRA (Northern Ireland)
9/12
Structural violence
Slack and Whiteford
9/14
Motivations and Ideology
Bright and Alam
L. Green
9/16
case studies
 Anders Breivik (Norway)
 Violence against women/ rape in E. Congo
 Hindu-Muslim Violence (India)
 Abu Sayyaf (Philippines)
Section 2
Paths to Violence
This section we will consider in detail three common dimensions of violence—religious violence,
ethnic violence, and genocide. We will look at mechanisms of domination, and how these are
culturally constructed. In addition to news articles, we will read one of the classic accounts of
the Rwandan Genocide.
9/19
FILM “Kandahar”
9/21
“Kandahar”
Juergensmeyer
9/23
Terror and God: Religious Violence
Army of God website
9/26
Religious terror
Olcott and Babajanov
9/28
Test 1
9/30
Ethnic hatred and Genocide I
Gourevitch (1-109)
10/3
Ethnic hatred and genocide II
Gourevitch (110-226)
10/5
FILM- Hate.com: Extremists on the Internet (42 min)
10/7
Case Studies
 Timothy Mc Veigh (United States)
 Joseph Stalin (former Soviet Union)
 Khmer Rouge (Cambodia)
 The Nazis/ The Holocaust
Hinton
Section 3
Paths to Terror
What constitutes “terror” and what is a “legitimate use of force” is often a matter of perspective, or
whose side you’re on. For this section we’ll use case studies to examine both sides of this
perspective, through examining state terror, asymmetrical warfare, and the newest global threats—
biological and cyber-terrorism. We’ll also look at the media, and how the media is used as a tool by
people on all sides of a conflict.
10/10
State terror and response
Chomsky
10/12
State terror and response
Nagengast
10/14
Film: My Daughter the Terrorist (60 min)
10/17
Sociopolitical Violence and Gender
10/19
Case studies
 Tamil-Sinhalese violence (Sri Lanka)
 King Leopold of Belgium (Congo)
 Argentina and the “Dirty War”
10/21
Film: Jenin, Jenin (50 min)
Al-Jazeera (English)
10/24
Asymmetrical Warfare and Terror
Goulding
The Estimate
10/26
Case Studies
 Chechen separatists and Russian response (Russia/ Chechnya)
 ETA (Spain)
 Joseph Kony and the “Lord’s Resistance Army”
10/28
Biological and Cyber-Terrorism
10/31
Case studies
 Aum Shinrikyo attack on subway (Japan)
 Saddam Hussein and attack on Kurds in Halabja (Iraq)
 Anthrax letters (United States)
11/2
Test 2
11/4
Crisis and the Media
Henry
Devost et al.
Collier et al.
Nacos
Section 4
Paths of Resistance
Finally, we turn to look at how people cope with and resist terror, both through formal state and
international mechanisms, and informal, local, social ways.
11/7
Formal counter-terrorism vs. Civil Rights
Werbner
Hedges
11/9
Film: Terror and Counter-Terror:
Can Democracy Survive?
Lelyveld
11/11
Case Studies
 Apartheid (S. Africa)


“Blood diamonds” and conflict minerals (Sierra Leone/Congo)
“Shining Path” (Peru)
11/14
Refugees and relief
11/16
Film: Pray the Devil Back to Hell
11/18
Pray the Devil back to Hell
MSF- Darfur situation
report
Heggenhougen
11/21
Discussion
Scheper-Hughes
11/23
Case Studies
 Yugoslavia and Slobodan Milosevic (former Yugoslavia)
 “La Violencia” (Colombia)
 Narco-Violence (Mexico)
11/25
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
11/28
Informal Resistance
11/30
Film: These Are Our Children
12/2
Test 3
12/5
Course wrap-up and review
12/7
NO CLASS- WORK ON PAPERS!
Nordstrom
FINAL PAPERS WILL BE DUE THURSDAY DECEMBER 8TH!
Note! Violence and terrorism are very dynamic, and necessitate a very flexible syllabus. Therefore,
should events occur during the class semester, I reserve the right to alter the schedule, readings, and
assignments in response.
CLASS REFERENCES
Sources:
Al-Jazeera (English)
2003 Zionists aim for Ethnically Pure Palestine.
Alenglish.aljazeera.net/archive/2003/09/2008410142622776807.html
Army of God. Website at: http://www.armyofgod.com/- see especially
http://www.armyofgod.com/CharlesColson.html
http://www.armyofgod.com/OfficerFriendly.html
http://www.armyofgod.com/AOGhistory.html
Bourgois, Phillippe
2001 Violence in War and Peace Ethnography 2 (1): 5-34
Bright, M., and F. Alam
2003 The Making of a Martyr: from Pacifism to Jihad. The Observer, Sunday, May 4,
2003.
Chomsky, Noam
2003 The New War Against Terror: Responding to 9/11. In Violence in War and Peace: an
Anthology. Scheper-Hughes and Bourgois, eds. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Collier, S., A. Lakoff, and P. Rabinow
2004 Biosecurity: Towards an Anthropology of the Contemporary. Anthropology Today 20
(5): 3-7
Devost, M., B. Houghton, and N. Pollard
1996 Information Terrorism: Can You Trust Your Toaster? Arlington, Va: The Terrorism
Research Center. (also available through http://www.terrorism.ws/documents/TRCAnalysis/suntzu.pdf)
Estimate, The (editorial)
2000 Asymmetry: Mismatch Between Israeli and Palestinian Tactics is a Classic Case of the
Problems of “Asymmetric Warfare”. The Estimate 13 (15): August 24, 2001.
(also available through http://www.theestimate.com/public/082401.html)
Ferguson, Brian
2009 Ten Points on War. In An Anthropology of War: Views from the Frontline. A.
Waterston, eds. New York: Berghahn Books.
Green, L.
2004 Living in a State of Fear. In Violence in War and Peace: an Anthology. Scheper-Hughes
and Bourgois, eds. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Goulding, V.
2000 Back to the Future with Asymmetric Warfare. Parameters: the U.S. Army War
College Quarterly. Winter 2000-01: 21-30.
Hedges, S.
2003 13 Detainees Released, 647 in Limbo at Guantanamo. Chicago Tribune, May 9, 2003.
Heggenhougen, H.K.
2009 Planting “Seeds of Health” in the Fields of Structural Violence: the Life and Death of
Francisco Curruchiche. In Global Health in Times of Violence. Rylko-Bauer, Whiteford,
and Farmer, eds. Santa Fe, NM: School for Advanced Research.
Henry, Doug
2005 The Legacy of the Tank, the Violence of Peace. Anthropological Quarterly 78 (2): 443456.
Hinton, Alex
2005 Why Did they Kill? Cambodia in the Shadow of Genocide. In Violence in War and
Peace: an Anthology. N. Scheper-Hughes and P. Bourgois, eds. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Juergensmeyer, Mark
2004 Holy Orders: Religious Opposition to Modern States. Harvard International Review.
Winter: 34-38.
Lelyveld, Joseph
2005 Interrogating Ourselves. New York Times Magazine, June 12, 2005.
MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) Holland
2004 Persecution, intimidation and failure of assistance in Darfur. October 2004. Accessed at
http://www.msf.org/source/countries/africa/sudan/2004/1101/darfur2004-11-01.doc
Nacos, Brigitte
2003 Terrorism as Breaking News: Attack on America. Political Science Quarterly, Spring
2003: 33-83
Nagengast, C.
1994 Violence, Terror, and the Crisis of the State: Annual Review of Anthropology 23:
109-136.
Nordstrom, C.
1998 Terror Warfare and the Medicine of Peace. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 12 (1):
103-121.
Olcott, Martha, and Bakhtiyar Babajanov
2005 The Terrorist Notebooks. In Violence and Terrorism. T. Badey, ed. 06/07 edition.
Bubuque, IA: McGraw Hill.
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy
2004 Undoing: Social Suffering and the Politics of Remorse in the New South Africa. In
Violence in War and Peace: an Anthology. Scheper-Hughes and Bourgois, eds. Malden,
MA: Blackwell.
Slack, Jeremy, and Scott Whiteford
2011 Violence and Migration on the Arizona-Sonora Border. Human Organization 70 (1): 1121.
Sluka, J
1992 The Anthropology of Conflict. In The Paths to Domination, Resistance, and Terror.
Nordstrom and Martin, eds. Pp. 18-36. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Werbner, P.
2005 Islamophobia: Incitement to Religious Hatred—Legislating a new Fear? Anthropology
Today 21 (1): 5-9.
PER/ PRESENTATION CASE STUDY TOPICS
Group presentations are to be case studies based on the list of 26 events, below (9 groups may have 3
members; 17 will have 2 members- 61 total). Individual papers may be either on the same topic as
your presentation, or a new topic of interest, either from the list below, or your personal choice (if
you verify it with me first).
Chechen separatists and Russia (Russia/ Chechnya)
ETA (Spain)
Joseph Kony and the “Lord’s Resistance Army” (Uganda)
Aum Shinrikyo attack on subway (Japan)
Saddam Hussein and attack on Kurds in Halabja (Iraq)
Anthrax letters (United States)
Apartheid (S. Africa)
“Blood diamonds” and conflict minerals (Sierra Leone/Congo)
“Shining Path” (Peru)
Yugoslavia and Slobodan Milosevic (former Yugoslavia)
“La Violencia” (Colombia)
Narco-Violence (Mexico)
Tamil-Sinhalese violence (Sri Lanka)
King Leopold of Belgium (Congo)
Argentina and the “Dirty War”
Timothy Mc Veigh (United States)
Joseph Stalin (former Soviet Union)
Khmer Rouge (Cambodia)
The Nazis/ The Holocaust
Anders Breivik (Norway)
Violence against women/ rape in E. Congo (Congo)
Hindu-Muslim Violence (India)
Abu Sayyaf (Philippines)
FMLN-Government violence in El Salvador
Taliban rule in Afghanistan
UFF/ IRA (Northern Ireland)
Other Possibilities for your personal paper:
Hutu/ Tutsi Violence (Rwanda-Burundi)
Mobutu Sese Seko (Congo)
Shaka Zulu (South Africa)
ELF (United States)
Muammar Quaddafi (Libya)
Pablo Escobar (Colombia)
Saddam Hussein attack on Kurds in Halabja (Iraq)
Algerian resistance (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, others) (Algeria)
Chechen Separatists (Chechnya/ Russia)
Yugoslavia and Slobodan Milosevic (former Yugoslavia)
Idi Amin (Uganda)
Ted Kaczynski (United States)
Fatah/ Hamas/ Hezbollah / Hizballah (Middle East)
La Violencia (Colombia)
Shining Path (Peru)
The Black Hand (Serbia)
Aryan Nations (United States)
Fedayeen (Iran)
PKK (“Kurdistan”)
Piracy (Somalia)
Ratko Mladić (Bosnia/ Serbia)
FARC (Colombia)
ULIMO (Liberia)
1993 World Trade Center bombing
2001 World Trade Center attack
Eric Rudolph (Olympic Park bombing)
Tibet and China
Zimbabwean war of independence
The Mao Mao Revolt (Kenya)
Armenian Genocide (Turkey)
MEND and oil violence in SE Nigeria (Nigeria)