Citation

Venkatesh V, Podoshen JS, Wallin J, Rabah J, Glass D. Terrorism Polit. Violence 2020; 32(8): 1753-1775.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09546553.2018.1516209

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper examines aspects of violent, traumatic terrorist video propaganda produced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) within the theoretical confines of abjection and the use of utopian/dystopian themes. These themes have been present in a number of studies that have examined consumption of the dark dystopic variety. We seek to elucidate on the use of specific techniques and narratives that are relatively new to the global propaganda consumerspace and that relate to horrific violence. Our work here is centered on interpretative analysis and theory building that we believe can assist in understanding and interpreting post-apocalyptic and abject-oriented campaigns in the age of social media and rapid transmission of multimedia communications. In the present analysis, we examine eight ISIS videos created and released in 2015 and 2016. All of the videos chosen for analysis have utilized techniques related to abjection, shock, and horror, often culminating in the filming of the murder of ISIS's enemies or place-based destruction of holy sites in the Middle East. We use inductive content analytic techniques in the contexts of consumer culture, "cinemas of attraction," and pornography of violence to propose an extension of existing frameworks of terrorism and propaganda theory.

Language: en

Keywords

cinema of attraction; dark dystopic consumer culture; interpretative methods; Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; social media