&quot;Underlying Sense of Fear&quot; - Ethnographic Research on the Everyday Effects of Terrorism on London’s Citizens

This paper answers the research question: ‘How are the people of London, United Kingdom, experiencing the effects of terrorist attacks in their daily lives?’, using ethnographyas a way of behavioral observation.Online interviews were conducted and used as the main sourceof data, as the research was conducted from The Hague, and there were time constraints. The interlocutors were gathered through LinkedIn and required to live in London for at least five years. Asthere is no current ethnographic research, mostly psychological literature was used to relate the data to. Multiple themes emerged from the interviews, consisting of, the effects of encountering terrorism, the effects of terrorist activity on police and travel, and the change in the city dynamics. These factors all influence the interlocutors in their daily lives, and contribute toa change in decision-making. It is concluded that safety enhancing procedures may seem like an overreaction and irrelevant nowadays, as stated by...Show moreThis paper answers the research question: ‘How are the people of London, United Kingdom, experiencing the effects of terrorist attacks in their daily lives?’, using ethnographyas a way of behavioral observation.Online interviews were conducted and used as the main sourceof data, as the research was conducted from The Hague, and there were time constraints. The interlocutors were gathered through LinkedIn and required to live in London for at least five years. Asthere is no current ethnographic research, mostly psychological literature was used to relate the data to. Multiple themes emerged from the interviews, consisting of, the effects of encountering terrorism, the effects of terrorist activity on police and travel, and the change in the city dynamics. These factors all influence the interlocutors in their daily lives, and contribute toa change in decision-making. It is concluded that safety enhancing procedures may seem like an overreaction and irrelevant nowadays, as stated by some interlocutors. Even though in the immediate aftermath of an attack, awareness and fear rise, there is a focus on the resilience of London, claiming the city is multicultural and does not give in. The interlocutors agree that they are aware of the possible risk of a terrorist attack, however, they are not willing to change their daily routine, adapting to this risk. Therefore, the effects of terrorism can be felt, but do not take the upper hand in the interlocutors’ lives.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

"Underlying Sense of Fear" - Ethnographic Research on the Everyday Effects of Terrorism on London’s Citizens