Cross-National Trends in Female Terrorism in West Africa

The sensationalism of women blowing themselves up helped to galvanize interest in female members of terrorist organizations and spurned a myriad of studies on female terrorism. In spite of the abundance of literature, there is however a lack of cumulative development, a follow-up of the previous trend. This multiplicity of approaches and disciplines ‘results in the juxtaposition of competing hypotheses with no comparison across and between findings. Several gaps are discernible here that prompt further epistemological forays into female terrorism. This research attempts to fill this gap, by examining female terrorism across West Africa, investigating motives, roles played, and intersections of class, religion and ethnicity. Scholarly attention towards these questions will help create a comprehensive strategy for policy implementation in the fight against terrorism