Reimagining the Suicide Bomber

A leading researcher in political theory will examine the perception of the ‘suicide bomber' in society at an Edge Hill University event.

Author and academic Dr Mark Devenney will deliver a thought-provoking talk entitled Reimagining the Suicide Bomber on Tuesday, 31st January.

In his lecture, he will examine the discourse of the ‘war on terror' through fear of one figure: the irrational, religious and fanatical ‘suicide bomber'.  As a key signifier of all that the free world opposes, this figure is now the subject of a whole academic cum therapeutic industry.

He draws on an argument laid out in the article The Professor of Suicide Bombing, which rejects the standard interpretations of human bombing as an irrational outburst against modernity, instead treating it as a social symptom. He contends that the human bomber's act is a response to the politicisation of life itself in modern societies and believes the act is much more than ‘mad, bad or sad' act as it is often described by social scientific literature.

Dr Devenney's talk is the third in a series of guest lectures on the topic (In)Security, Surveillance and the State to explore the politics of ‘insecurity' by examining some of the most controversial events in today's society. The programme has been organised by the University's Department of Social Sciences and supported by the Power, Conflict and Justice Research Group and the Faculty of Arts & Sciences.

Mark McGovern, Professor of Sociology and who has coordinated the series, said: "Dr Devenney's research interests include contemporary political philosophy and his work on the role of the suicide bomber is very much an important issue within today's society on how we perceive threats. I'm delighted that he is able to join our lecture series, which sees internationally-renowned commentators and academics investigate in detail major key events and, as a result, some of the most critical, controversial and divisive issues that confront us today."

Mark Devenney is Principal Lecturer in Politics and Philosophy at the University of Brighton and Deputy Director of the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE). He is currently writing about the politics of life and death in contemporary societies, building upon his text Ethics and Politics in Contemporary Theory, and recent work on the War on Terror. He has published work in the areas of post Marxism, critical theory, post colonialism and the literature of J.M. Coetzee.

The lecture is free to attend and spaces are limited. To book your place, email corporateevents@edgehill.ac.uk. Arrival is 5.30pm with refreshments, ready for a 6.30pm start and refreshments and networking afterwards.

For news, videos and podcasts log on to www.edgehill.ac.uk/insecuritylectures.