The Demon Lover: On the Sexuality of Terrorism

Despite its overlay of rhetoric, Morgan's challenging feminist diatribe brings a startling perspective to terrorism, which she sees as arising out of patriarchal societies' emphasis on power, control, domination and violence. In her definition, left-wing urban guerrillas, CIA dirty tricks, the Contras, white supremacist groups, nation a list resistance movements and the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima are all terrorist acts. She traces the seeds of terrorism to the mythic herowarrior, god-king, liberatorwho glorifies vengeance. Moving into modern times, Morgan ( Sisterhood Is Global , etc.) detects a sexual component in man's penchant for violent means, and she draws on works by Henry James, Graham Greene, Doris Lessing and Marge Piercy for support. On a more personal note, she analyzes ``token terrorist'' women and considers herself to have been one in the late '60s. She also interviews women in Palestinian refugee camps and includes a 1978 prison talk with Patti Hearst. Morgan ends by calling for a politics of eros, of fierce tenderness, connectivity and caring. (Feb.)