Book 1: Mental Health in the War on Terror:
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-16664-5/mental-health-in-the-war-on-terror
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-16664-5/mental-health-in-the-war-on-terror
"Very few people are able to synthesize the disciplines of anthropology, mental health, cultural studies, political theory, religious studies, bioethics, and forensics in the way Neil Krishan Aggarwal does in this book. He offers a balanced and insightful account of the challenges of forensic psychiatry in assessing and managing terrorism suspects." — Hamada Hamid, Yale University
"Using concrete clinical cases to anchor sophisticated and thought-provoking analysis, Aggarwal demonstrates that not only ethics but also the very nature of clinical knowledge and practice are at issue in the use, and especially misuse, of mental-health categories in the War on Terror. His book brings a new level of critical self-reflection to the psychology of terrorism." — James W. Jones, author of Blood That Cries Out from the Earth: The Psychology of Religious Terrorism
"An indispensable and astute account of the insidious cultural manifestations emerging from the justifying framework that is the War on Terror. In light of the increasingly intolerable actions permissible through deference to notions of national security, Aggarwal's review of bioethics is crucial to understanding the evolution, through politicization, of approaches to mental health. Aggarwal's review of orientalist positions within psychotherapy literature, which underpin this creeping securitization of mental health, reinforces the impact of culturally laden views on Islam and Muslims. An essential read." — Orla Lynch, Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St Andrews
"Aggarwal has written a theoretically sophisticated, multisided exploration of how the War on Terror and mental health are powerfully connected through the 'culture' of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, hospitals, courts, the military, and Islam. His argument is that science, religion, and moral experience are not just infiltrated with cultural meanings but come to create new cultural forms such as 'trauma,' forensic processes, and 'terrorism,' which in turn remake the world. An important achievement." — Arthur Kleinman, Harvard University
"A clear and impassioned discussion of the presence of psychiatrists and mental-health knowledge practices in the micro-functioning of the War on Terror and the impact of each on the other. The book is a compelling portrayal of the way that medicine and its scientific languages and knowledge structures are able to move through and across political domains, being put to use to challenge and undo the very power structures they are meant to serve. Engaging, rigorous, and beautifully written." — Sarah Pinto, Tufts University
"In this impressive and provocative volume, Aggarwal reveals many hidden failings of dominant social and political thought on radicalization and terrorism. Bioethics, arabic science, and symptoms in Guantanamo detainees are all debated to present an alternative, rounded, and compelling approach that includes medicine and cultural psychiatry as essential actors." — Kamaldeep Bhui, Queen Mary University of London
Book 2: The Taliban's Virtual Emirate
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-talibans-virtual-emirate/9780231174268
"Using concrete clinical cases to anchor sophisticated and thought-provoking analysis, Aggarwal demonstrates that not only ethics but also the very nature of clinical knowledge and practice are at issue in the use, and especially misuse, of mental-health categories in the War on Terror. His book brings a new level of critical self-reflection to the psychology of terrorism." — James W. Jones, author of Blood That Cries Out from the Earth: The Psychology of Religious Terrorism
"An indispensable and astute account of the insidious cultural manifestations emerging from the justifying framework that is the War on Terror. In light of the increasingly intolerable actions permissible through deference to notions of national security, Aggarwal's review of bioethics is crucial to understanding the evolution, through politicization, of approaches to mental health. Aggarwal's review of orientalist positions within psychotherapy literature, which underpin this creeping securitization of mental health, reinforces the impact of culturally laden views on Islam and Muslims. An essential read." — Orla Lynch, Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St Andrews
"Aggarwal has written a theoretically sophisticated, multisided exploration of how the War on Terror and mental health are powerfully connected through the 'culture' of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, hospitals, courts, the military, and Islam. His argument is that science, religion, and moral experience are not just infiltrated with cultural meanings but come to create new cultural forms such as 'trauma,' forensic processes, and 'terrorism,' which in turn remake the world. An important achievement." — Arthur Kleinman, Harvard University
"A clear and impassioned discussion of the presence of psychiatrists and mental-health knowledge practices in the micro-functioning of the War on Terror and the impact of each on the other. The book is a compelling portrayal of the way that medicine and its scientific languages and knowledge structures are able to move through and across political domains, being put to use to challenge and undo the very power structures they are meant to serve. Engaging, rigorous, and beautifully written." — Sarah Pinto, Tufts University
"In this impressive and provocative volume, Aggarwal reveals many hidden failings of dominant social and political thought on radicalization and terrorism. Bioethics, arabic science, and symptoms in Guantanamo detainees are all debated to present an alternative, rounded, and compelling approach that includes medicine and cultural psychiatry as essential actors." — Kamaldeep Bhui, Queen Mary University of London
Book 2: The Taliban's Virtual Emirate
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-talibans-virtual-emirate/9780231174268
"Nothing less than astonishing--The Taliban's Virtual Emirate is a blueprint for how to do cultural analysis of terrorist/insurgent activity online. The depth of what's on offer here should only spur more academics to figure out how they too can do work like this." - John G. Horgan, author of The Psychology of Terrorism
"Aggarwal, who is trained in cultural psychology, demonstrates how to conduct systematic discourse analysis and wed this to leadership analysis. The Taliban's Virtual Emirate will be seen as essential reading for both practitioners and academic analysts." - Jerrold M. Post, author of The Mind of a Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to al-Qaeda
"It is difficult to overstate the importance of The Taliban's Virtual Emirate, which provides a comprehensive and intelligent analysis of the use of the virtual space by one of the more successful and violent contemporary ideological movements. Scholars, practitioners, and others who are interested in the new ways militant groups shape their communities' and other constituencies' perceptions and understanding of the political reality should read this book." - Arie Perliger, director of Terrorism Studies at the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy, and author of Middle Eastern Terrorism
"This remarkable study brings to bear Aggarwal's broad knowledge of South Asian and Middle Eastern languages and cultures and the conceptual frameworks of cultural psychiatry to examine the discourse and rhetoric of the Taliban. The insights will help all concerned to understand the religious idoleogies and aspirations that fuel some of the central conflicts of our time." - Laurence J. Kirmayer, McGill University
"Aggarwal, who is trained in cultural psychology, demonstrates how to conduct systematic discourse analysis and wed this to leadership analysis. The Taliban's Virtual Emirate will be seen as essential reading for both practitioners and academic analysts." - Jerrold M. Post, author of The Mind of a Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to al-Qaeda
"It is difficult to overstate the importance of The Taliban's Virtual Emirate, which provides a comprehensive and intelligent analysis of the use of the virtual space by one of the more successful and violent contemporary ideological movements. Scholars, practitioners, and others who are interested in the new ways militant groups shape their communities' and other constituencies' perceptions and understanding of the political reality should read this book." - Arie Perliger, director of Terrorism Studies at the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy, and author of Middle Eastern Terrorism
"This remarkable study brings to bear Aggarwal's broad knowledge of South Asian and Middle Eastern languages and cultures and the conceptual frameworks of cultural psychiatry to examine the discourse and rhetoric of the Taliban. The insights will help all concerned to understand the religious idoleogies and aspirations that fuel some of the central conflicts of our time." - Laurence J. Kirmayer, McGill University
