The Pencil is Mightier than the Kalashnikov: What Cartoons can tell us about our (Mis)Understanding of Terrorist Acts in the Wake of the Charlie Hebdo Massacre

This is a book chapter for an edited collection on terrorism called Terrorscapes: The Global Threat of Terrorism and its Mediation in the 21st Century, edited by Elena Caoduro, Karen Randell, and Karen Ritzenhoff. The chapter is complete and awaiting edits from the editors. It consists of textual analysis of various cartoons by professional and amateur cartoonists that acted as responses to the Charlie Hedbo terror attack in January of 2015. It reads these responses collectively and attempts to challenge the optimistic message pushed by the media, public, and European governments in the aftermath, hoping that we might reconsider the way in which we react to terrorist attacks.