A Genealogy of Terrorism Colonial Law and the Origins of an Idea : Colonial Law and the Origins of an Idea

Using India as a case study, Joseph McQuade demonstrates how the modern concept of terrorism was shaped by colonial emergency laws dating back into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Beginning with the 'thugs', 'pirates', and 'fanatics' of the nineteenth century, McQuade traces the emerging and novel legal category of 'the terrorist' in early twentieth-century colonial law, ending with an examination of the first international law to target global terrorism in the 1930s. Drawing on a wide range of archival research and a detailed empirical study of evolving emergency laws in British India, he argues that the idea of terrorism emerged as a deliberate strategy by officials seeking to depoliticize the actions of anti-colonial revolutionaries, and that many of the ideas embedded in this colonial legislation continue to shape contemporary understandings of terrorism today. "Using India as a case study, Joseph McQuade demonstrates how the modern concept of terrorism was shaped by colonial emergency laws dating back into the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beginning with the 'thugs', 'pirates', and 'fanatics' of the 19th century, McQuade traces the emerging and novel legal category of 'the terrorist' in early 20th century colonial law, ending with an examination of the first international law to target global terrorism in the 1930s. Drawing on a wide range of archival research and a detailed empirical study of evolving emergency laws in British India, he argues that the idea of terrorism emerged as a deliberate strategy by officials seeking to depoliticize the actions of anti-colonial revolutionaries, and that many of the ideas embedded in this colonial legislation continue to shape contemporary understandings of terrorism today"-- Provided by publisher Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 2 Title - Full......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Epigraph......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Figures......Page 11 Acknowledgements......Page 13 Abbreviations......Page 17 Introduction......Page 18 1 - Ethereal Assassins......Page 52 2 - ‘The Magical Lore of Bengal’......Page 100 3 - ‘The Eye of Government Is on Them’......Page 142 4 - Indefinite Emergency......Page 180 5 - Terrorism as a ‘World Crime’......Page 221 Conclusion......Page 257 Glossary......Page 266 Select Bibliography......Page 268 Index......Page 291 Using India as a case study, Joseph McQuade traces the genealogy of the political and legal category of terrorism. He demonstrates how the modern concept of terrorism was shaped by colonial emergency laws dating back into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Explores how the modern concept of terrorism was shaped by colonial emergency laws dating back into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries