Shannon Nash
PhD Program
University of Toronto
Canada
Biography
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, fears over so-called “sleeper cells” have pervaded countries around the globe. But such worries are not new – the idea of enemies assimilating into a society and living quietly before rising up violently has been feared for centuries and has been an enduring aspect of American national security thought. My dissertation examines how and why Al Qaeda sleeper cells emerged as a focal point of American national security and paranoia. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, fears over so-called “sleeper cells” have pervaded countries around the globe. But such worries are not new – the idea of enemies assimilating into a society and living quietly before rising up violently has been feared for centuries and has been an enduring aspect of American national security thought. My dissertation examines how and why Al Qaeda sleeper cells emerged as a focal point of American national security and paranoia.
Research Interest
History
