Use of the word ‘terrorism’ to describe and condemn political violence is often seen to be a relatively recent development.
New research by Adelaide University professors, however, demonstrates that this vocabulary was being widely – but inconsistently – used from the 1950s onwards.
"We wanted to understand the transformation and consequences of this language – asking who gets labelled a terrorist by people in positions of power, and why this might matter to different audiences," Professor Lee Jarvis, School of Society and Culture, said.
In new research published in International Politics, Adelaide University researchers studied the Corona journal – a largely neglected publication published between 1949 and 1962 to keep British colonial administrators around the world up to date on practices, policies and initiatives within the British empire.
"The mid-20th century saw the Corona journal situating terrorism as an evolving, and increasingly international, entity, using the term to explain a wide range of anti-colonial campaigns and violence in Africa, Asia, and Europe," Professor Jarvis said.
It is important to note, however, that although the language of terrorism is used repeatedly within the journal – and therefore presumed to be familiar to readers – there are subtle but significant differences when it is applied to acts of violence in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
"Noteworthy here, is that constructions of terrorism in the Corona journal seem to draw from and contribute to wider articulations of race, culture, and civilisation," Professor Tim Legrand said.
"The ‘terrorism’ of the Mau Mau in Kenya, for instance, is written about differently from the ‘terrorism’ of EOKA in Cyprus."
With the language of ‘terrorism’ appearing just 12 pages into the first edition of Corona - to describe members of the Malayan National Liberation Army – by the last issue, it had also been used in relation to Cameroon, the Solomon Islands, Palestine, and events associated with the Cold War.
"These were all very different contexts, but Corona's coverage contributed to an impression of terrorism as a growing threat to the British Empire," said Professor Legrand.
"We hope our study helps contribute to understanding of the longevity of ‘terrorism’ as a political discourse, and the importance of racialised assumptions and stereotypes in its application to specific case studies."