Islamic State, Media, and Ppropaganda: Performances of the 'Visual Caliphate'
Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing (2025), xiii, 264 pp.
Contains illustrations, tables, acronyms pp. xii-xiii, bibliogr. pp. 222-264, index
Series: European Security and Justice Critiques
ISBN 978-1-03-533622-7 (e-book); 978-1-0353-3621-0 (print)
"Examining hundreds of official propaganda video releases, Khawaja and Kaunert provide a visual longitudinal analysis of IS’ portrayal of its population, territory, governance, and foreign policy, which they term as the ‘Visual Caliphate’. They demonstrate that while IS published its state-like performances in multiple formats such as audios and magazines, videos were their medium of choice as they narrate stories at length and with more clarity, offering audiences deeper context to garner their support. Contributing to a growing body of research on IS visual propaganda and its state-building project, this comprehensive book will prove beneficial for future research on contemporary terrorist organisations, de-facto jihadi states, and deradicalisation as well as conflict studies." (Publisher description)
1 Prologue: Islamic State, media and propaganda, 1
2 IS’s historic transition from a “paper state” to de facto state, 15
3 Understanding Islamic State’s “acting” like a state, 37
4 Portrait of the Caliphate’s population, 69
5 Displays of the Caliphate’s “remaining and expanding” territoriality, 112
6 IS’s “iron fist in a velvet glove” system of governance, 137
7 IS’s (in)capacity to conduct relations with other states and non-state actors, 171
8 Conclusion, 210
2 IS’s historic transition from a “paper state” to de facto state, 15
3 Understanding Islamic State’s “acting” like a state, 37
4 Portrait of the Caliphate’s population, 69
5 Displays of the Caliphate’s “remaining and expanding” territoriality, 112
6 IS’s “iron fist in a velvet glove” system of governance, 137
7 IS’s (in)capacity to conduct relations with other states and non-state actors, 171
8 Conclusion, 210
