Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The only comprehensive history available of suicide bombing from its origins in Imperial Russia to the current day, The Business of Martyrdom examines the bombers, their societies, and the organizations that train and sponsor them. Writing for a broad audience, Lewis draws on the history and philosophy of technology in order to explain the evolution and diffusion of suicide bombing across time and from region to region. Lewis presents a model for suicide bombing that integrates individual psychology, organizational motivations, and social support. He argues that suicide bombing is a technology that has been invented and re-invented at different times in different areas, but always for the same purpose: resolving a mismatch in military capabilities between antagonists by utilizing the available cultural and human resources. To explain inconsistencies in the use of suicide bombing by different groups, he examines suicide bombing as a technological system that is flexible enough to be adapted to specific local conditions. He views suicide bombers as components within a much larger system that has been shaped by a host of social, cultural, and operational constraints throughout its existence. Incorporating insights from the historical analysis of other technological systems with current thinking on suicide bombing, the book helps readers develop a full appreciation of the unified yet diverse phenomenon. His explanations of the global decline in suicide bombing and the success of some countries in reducing the threat of it add significantly to a better understanding of the subject."--book jacket