ABSTRACT

The Islamic State (ISIS) early became infamous for its broadcasts of extreme violence. However, within months, the group’s initially dominant images of combat and executions had been subsumed into a broader propaganda platform more focused on state-building and community engagement. Drawing on a close reading of Abu Bakr Naji’s Management of Savagery, this article conceptualises three dominant themes within ISIS’ recruitment propaganda—violence, state and caliphate—and analyses their development and presentation over time. Employing a recruitment model adapted from Prochaska and DiClemente’s theory of behavioural change, it finds that ISIS developed a multidimensional propaganda platform, undergoing both broad thematic and structural evolution, which democratised the appeal of its jihad to cohorts who would otherwise be uninspired by extremist violence. ‘Technological coding’—the selective publication of thematic content by broadcast format—is proposed as a means by which ISIS was able to sustain binary violent and non-violent identities, and its function in the group’s propaganda machine is explored in depth. In the wake of ISIS’ territorial defeat, understanding the logic and effectiveness of its recruitment methodology is essential in preventing its resurgence or the rise of a newer organisation seeking to take its place.

摘要

伊斯兰国 (ISIS) 很早就因其极端暴力的广播而臭名昭著。然而，在几个月内，该组织最初占主导地位的战斗和处决形象已被纳入更广泛的宣传平台，更侧重于国家建设和社区参与。仔细阅读 Abu Bakr Naji 的《野蛮管理》, 本文概念化了 ISIS 招募宣传中的三个主要主题——暴力、国家和哈里发——并分析了它们随着时间的推移的发展和表现。采用改编自 Prochaska 和 DiClemente 的行为改变理论的招募模型，它发现 ISIS 开发了一个多维宣传平台，经历了广泛的主题和结构演变，这使得其圣战对那些原本不会受到极端主义暴力启发的群体的吸引力民主化。“技术编码”——通过广播格式选择性地发布主题内容——被提议作为 ISIS 能够维持二元暴力和非暴力身份的一种手段，并深入探讨了其在该组织的宣传机器中的作用。在 ISIS 领土战败后，