Islamic State Media And Propaganda Performances Of The Visual Caliphate Moign Khawaja by Moign Khawaja, Christian Kaunert 9781035336227, 1035336227 instant download after payment.

This book examines the Islamic State (IS) through the lens of its state-like performances, focusing on how it projected itself as a modern state in its official propaganda videos. While IS’s Islamic identity has been widely debated, its claim to statehood has received less scholarly attention. By declaring itself the "Islamic State" (ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah), IS sought recognition as a state from its subjects, supporters, and enemies, using propaganda to legitimise its governance and state-building efforts. This book is the first to conduct a visual longitudinal analysis of hundreds of IS videos from its declaration in 2014 to its collapse in 2017, addressing two key questions: How did IS project itself as a state, and what were the purposes behind these performances?

The book focuses on four key aspects of statehood—population, territory, government, and foreign policy—as defined by the Montevideo Convention. It provides a detailed visual account of IS’s state-like performances, contributing to the historiography of IS and highlighting the role of videos in its propaganda and recruitment strategies. The book also addresses the academic gap in analysing IS’s audio-visual materials, emphasising the need for further research on its thematic content and state-like projections. By contextualising IS’s state-like performances, the book offers valuable insights into its propaganda methods, which can inform efforts to counter violent extremism and de-radicalisation. It also explores how IS’s blueprint for statehood might influence future jihadi movements with similar ambitions. Overall, the book is a significant and timely contribution to the study of IS’s multimedia propaganda and its claims to statehood.