About Article

The study of terrorism by a range of scholarly disciplines has enjoyed “explosive growth … in the past two decades” (LaFree & Freilich, 2017, p. 3) and has generated associated research in fields such as risk, global insecurity, securitization, and raised questions concerning increased state control over categories of social, cultural, and political activity. This special issue of Women andCriminal Justice captures current research devoted to the topic of gendering terrorism. Its publication is timely given that there now exists a significant body of research across disciplines, as well as a vigorous media discourse that addresses terrorism through the lens of gender. Appreciation is given to the authors of the numerous studies submitted for inclusion with the hope that readers will find this issue stimulating. This introduction provides an overview of some existing studies of gender and terrorism; discusses the contributions to the field made in this special issue; and looks at possible future studies. The outline is not comprehensive but attempts to delineate the principal issues raised by the research and provide an introductory framework for the studies in this special issue. Criminologists who may not have engaged with terrorism studies may find it a convenient starting point and add it to their research agenda.