The interpretation of a legal phenomenon is hardly possible without its historical roots and accurate definition of a conceptual framework. The Russian historical and legal literature introduces the materials of great importance devoted to one of the most relevant subjects of today – the problem of terror and terrorism, which is however complicated to study. Unfortunately, quantity does not always correlate with quality, and diverse approaches are used to explain specific categories. One of the most controversial issues is clarification of interrelation of categories «terror» and «terrorism», when free interchangeability of words, that is explained by a variety of reasons of objective and subjective character presented in this article, has become a leading tendency. The author believes that in the light of historical impartiality and taking into account the need to develop regulatory and legal framework a kind of methodological unity is urgently needed, and gives rationale for this situation on a number of factors. The current status of the conceptual framework of the issue under study has been considered. The author emphasized that the words «term», «concept», and «category» have not been seen as synonyms. The main orientations of the study of terror and terrorism have been identified, their mostly widespread interrelations have been shown. The concepts «terror» and «terrorism» have been considered separately being estimated from the historical and legal point of view rather than modern criminal one. The author's definition has been presented emphasizing the importance of the historical approach in addressing the matter.

Shobodoeva Anna Vladimirovna, Candidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor, Department of Legal Support of National Security, Baikal State University, 11, Lenin st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, tel.: 8(3952)712059, e-mail: AnnaV.59@mail.ru

Shobodoeva A. V. Terror and Terrorism: the Problem of a Conceptual Framework in Terms of Historical and Legal Approaches. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies. 2019, vol. 27, pp. 20-28. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2019.27.20 (in Russian)

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