ERIC Number: EJ745389
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Jun
Pages: 22
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0037-7732
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Changing Nature of Suicide Attacks: A Social Network Perspective
Pedahzur, Ami; Perliger, Arie
Social Forces, v84 n4 p1987-2008 Jun 2006
To comprehend the developments underlying the suicide attacks of recent years, we suggest that the organizational approach, which until recently was used to explain this phenomenon, should be complemented with a social network perspective. By employing a social network analysis of Palestinian suicide networks, the authors found that, in contrast to prevailing perceptions which view suicide attacks as a product of strategic decisions made within organizational frameworks, decisions have actually been made, to a great extent, by local activists, and struggles between local and family groups have proved to be the best predictor of their actions in this context. The authors also found that the peripheral nature of suicide bombers has been a characteristic common to most networks. Finally, the authors have found that the existence of cohesive subgroups, as well as the number of hubs in a network, has an influence on the network's effectiveness. The paper concludes by showing that the method of network analysis can also be of considerable assistance from the standpoint of dealing with suicide attacks. On the one hand, this is possible by identifying the network's central figures who are essential for its continued existence, and on the other, the authors identify the grassroots factors responsible for the emergence of these networks.
Descriptors: Suicide, Social Networks, Network Analysis, Predictor Variables, Decision Making, Family (Sociological Unit), Group Unity, Activism, Organizational Effectiveness, Terrorism, Foreign Countries
University of North Carolina Press. 116 South Boundary Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. Tel: 800-848-6224; Tel: 919-966-7449; Fax: 919-962-2704; e-mail: uncpress@unc.edu; Web site: http://uncpress.unc.edu/.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A