Discursive Construction of the Female Identity within Official ISIS Propaganda

1 online resource (95 pages) : PDF

2019

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Having created a dominant online media strategy, ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has used the internet in order to spread its narratives beyond its geographical constraints to the largest possible audience. To this audience, they provide an ISIS-constructed identity of the ideal Muslim, and within that, the ideal Muslim woman. By incorporating the theoretical frameworks of Bucholtz and Hall (2005) and van Leeuwen (2008), this study focuses on the specific discursive processes of female identity construction found within ISIS’s digital magazines Dabiq and Rumiyah. Through this framework and analysis, this study found that through strategies such as othering and religious justification, ISIS has constructed a female identity which is submissive to Allah, strictly observant of religious duties, and necessary to the successful continuation of the caliphate. Additionally, this study revealed how in constructing a more inclusive identity which places a heavy emphasis on the necessity of travel to the caliphate, ISIS is able to successfully appeal to Western audiences and recruit individuals to physically join the organization.

masters theses

Linguistics

M.A.

Feminism
Identity Construction
ISIS

English

Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, Pilar

Dobs, Abby
Phillips, Matthew

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2019.

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