Following the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001 ; there has been a massive increase in research related to terrorism . Terrorism has become one of the most powerful signifiers in contemporary society with the term generating vast amounts of social and political activity . It has also become a cultural taboo which invokes emotions – fear and hatred . CTS takes issue with previous terrorism studies in what it perceives as having methodological and analytical weaknesses , including a reliance on poor research methods and procedures , an overreliance on secondary resources , and a failure to undertake primary research ; a failure to come up with an accepted definition of terrorism , and an inability to be cross-disciplinary . According to Jeroen Gunning : " core epistemological , methodological and political-normative problems persist , ranging from lack of conceptual clarity and theoretical sterility to political bias and a continuing dearth of primary research data " . CTS is a response to these research problems . With its origins in the Frankfurt School of critical theory , and the Welsh School of critical security studies ( in which the primary referent to be secured is individuals not states ) , CTS is a self-reflective , critical approach to the study of terrorism which challenges the ontological , epistemological and ideological commitments of mainstream terrorism scholars . CTS also looks to attract academics from other disciplines who are uncomfortable with the mainstream discourse around terrorism and looks to engage directly with those who are perceived as ' terrorists ' and/or terrorist sympathisers
terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001
September 11 attacks
Critical terrorism studies