Bioattack or Panic Attack? Critical Reflections on the Ill-logic of Bioterrorism and Biowarfare in Late/Postmodernity

Abstract

This paper casts a critical sociological eye over the pros and cons of bioterrorism and biowarfare in the wake of September 11 th. The first part of the paper provides a brief sketch of the (not so) secret history of chemical and biological weapons (CBW), including arguments for and against their military/terrorist deployment to date. The sociological themes and issues this raises are then more fully explored in the remainder of the paper, with particular reference to: (i) (epidemics of) fear/panic; (ii) risk/(mis)trust; (iii) security/surveillance; (iv) combat/code. The paper concludes with some further thoughts and reflections on these global matters, and the relays between social theory and health they signal, including both the 'war on terrorism' and the health implications of war in general.