Anthropological Quarterly

Caldararo, Niccolo.
Suicide Bombers, Terror, History, and Religion
Anthropological Quarterly - Volume 79, Number 1, Winter 2006, pp. 123-131

George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research

Niccolo Caldararo - Suicide Bombers, Terror, History, and Religion - Anthropological Quarterly 79:1 Anthropological Quarterly 79.1 (2006) 123-131 Suicide Bombers, Terror, History, and Religion Niccolo Caldararo San Francisco State University There is a tendency to overlook many examples from the West when we discuss suicide and terrorism and to emphasize some examples from the Near East. This is true both in the academic and popular press. I will give examples from each. Very little in recent years has appeared in print concerning the theory of suicide bombing or past research in suicide. Even Durkheim or more recent comprehensive studies by people like Schneidman, Farberow, and Litman (1970) have played minor roles, if any, in the popular discussion. We are often treated to a history of the Assassins, a Middle Eastern sect which came to considerable power in the 12th century, and their leader, Hasan as-Sabah, based almost entirely on the work of Bernard Lewis. More than 630,000 citations on the world-wide web refer to his work or interviews with him regarding suicide bombings and is the primary source for news stories. Despite the definitive tone of his book, Lewis admits the strange fact that, "The most important single source for Hasan's life is his autobiography...No copy has so far come to light..." (his notes, 1980:146). In fact, Lewis cites Ismaili sources captured by the Mongols, but all of which were destroyed or lost. The sect is known only...