Placing Terrorism in an Academic and Personal Context: A Case Study of the Oklahoma City Bombing

Objective. This article reviews the academic research context for terrorism studies before and after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, from the perspective of a long-time specialist in the study of terrorism. Method. The article combines a personal narrative and an analysis of the broader academic context. Results. This first-hand account details the ways in which research on terrorism emerged in the 1970s in Oklahoma and was shaped by the bombing and its aftermath. Recounting how early research on terrorism was conducted before the widespread use of computers as well as breakthroughs in training tactics provides an understanding of the ways in which the field has evolved.