MAPPING TERROR: EXPLORATORY SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS AND THE LOCAL DYNAMICS OF TERRORISM IN NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE PHILIPPINES
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Authors
Hartmann, Shannon Colleen
Issue Date
2025
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
ESDA , gis , northern ireland , philippines , political violence , terrorism
Alternative Title
Abstract
This dissertation explores how terrorism clusters in space and time, and what those clusters can tell us about the local dynamics of political violence. While terrorism is often analyzed at national or global levels, this project shifts the focus to subnational geographies, using a mixed-method approach that combines exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) with structured qualitative comparison. This project uses georeferenced event datasets for two comparable cases: Northern Ireland and the Philippines. It applies spatial autocorrelation and density-based clustering to identify patterns in where and when violence occurs. These clusters serve as the unit of analysis for both within- and cross-case comparisons, allowing the study to link spatial patterns with changes in organizational activity, political context, and conflict dynamics. The structured, cluster-level approach enables a type of comparison that remains rooted in each case while also providing insights across them. This research provides a methodological framework for cluster-level analysis that bridges nomothetic and idiographic approaches. It shows how spatial data and case-sensitive comparison can be used together to explore how political violence is influenced by and reacts to its immediate context. In doing so, the project supports a broader shift toward mid-range theories in terrorism studies, emphasizing clarity, comparability, and context over abstraction or anecdote.