The critical terrorism studies-cultural criminology nexus: Some thoughts on how to 'toughen up' the critical studies approach

This article adopts the perspective of cultural criminology to engage with some of the recent criticisms that have surfaced regarding critical terrorism studies (CTS). In particular, this article responds to a number of commentators who have implored CTS to move away from discursive and constructivist accounts of terrorism and to concentrate instead on more tangible social relations linked to politico-economic interests and historical conditions. This article proceeds in two parts. First, it outlines the many intellectual and epistemological commonalities that exist between CTS and cultural criminology. It then takes a more critical turn by offering up a series of examples drawn from cultural criminology that could be useful in making the 'critical' in CTS less ambiguous.