Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism

The research note offers an intuitive insight into a peculiar type of terrorist behaviour. It does so by combining the concept of ‘ludic’ with terrorism, which is not entirely new (see Shane McCorristine’s work on 19th century anarchism as ‘ludic terrorism’ and its representations in Edwardian liter...

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Main Author: Samuel H. Patterson
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Daniel Koehler 2020-06-01
Series:Journal for Deradicalization
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/article/view/367
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author Samuel H. Patterson
author_facet Samuel H. Patterson
author_sort Samuel H. Patterson
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description The research note offers an intuitive insight into a peculiar type of terrorist behaviour. It does so by combining the concept of ‘ludic’ with terrorism, which is not entirely new (see Shane McCorristine’s work on 19th century anarchism as ‘ludic terrorism’ and its representations in Edwardian literature). But the object of this work is to explore the ‘ludic’ concept both methodologically (by exposing the linkage between ‘ludic’ themes of playing, tricking and irony and the theory of postmodernism) and historically by highlighting two serious yet apparently unrelated mainstream cases – Anders Behring Breivik and Elliot Rodger. It is important to note that the study is multi-disciplinary by nature. It draws on philosophy and cultural theorists as well as novelists and film media in order to get to grips with real life traumas experienced by millions of human beings and externalise the dangerous alter egos and apocalyptic pipedreams which are born as a result.
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spelling doaj.art-214b359d54b9428d841eee8f8f8973fe2022-12-21T21:47:01ZdeuDaniel KoehlerJournal for Deradicalization2363-98492363-98492020-06-01Summer23189213Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with PostmodernismSamuel H. Patterson0Freelance ResearcherThe research note offers an intuitive insight into a peculiar type of terrorist behaviour. It does so by combining the concept of ‘ludic’ with terrorism, which is not entirely new (see Shane McCorristine’s work on 19th century anarchism as ‘ludic terrorism’ and its representations in Edwardian literature). But the object of this work is to explore the ‘ludic’ concept both methodologically (by exposing the linkage between ‘ludic’ themes of playing, tricking and irony and the theory of postmodernism) and historically by highlighting two serious yet apparently unrelated mainstream cases – Anders Behring Breivik and Elliot Rodger. It is important to note that the study is multi-disciplinary by nature. It draws on philosophy and cultural theorists as well as novelists and film media in order to get to grips with real life traumas experienced by millions of human beings and externalise the dangerous alter egos and apocalyptic pipedreams which are born as a result.https://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/article/view/367ludic terrorismalter egopostmodernism
spellingShingle Samuel H. Patterson
Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism
Journal for Deradicalization
ludic terrorism
alter ego
postmodernism
title Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism
title_full Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism
title_fullStr Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism
title_full_unstemmed Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism
title_short Research Note: “When ‘Childsplay’ Gets Lethal”: ‘Ludic Terrorism’ and its Ambivalent Relationship with Postmodernism
title_sort research note when childsplay gets lethal ludic terrorism and its ambivalent relationship with postmodernism
topic ludic terrorism
alter ego
postmodernism
url https://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/article/view/367
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