Narrative Landmines : : Rumors, Islamist Extremism, and the Struggle for Strategic Influence / / Daniel Leonard Bernardi, Pauline Hope Cheong, Chris Lundry, Scott W. Ruston.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Rutgers University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Bernardi, Daniel Leonard,; Cheong, Pauline Hope,; Lundry, Chris,
• Place / Publishing House: New Brunswick, NJ : : Rutgers University Press, , [2012]; ©2012
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: New Directions in International Studies
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (220 p.) :; 17 illustrations, 8 photographs, 4 maps.

Islamic extremism is the dominant security concern of many contemporary governments, spanning the industrialized West to the developing world. Narrative Landmines explores how rumors fit into and extend narrative systems and ideologies, particularly in the context of terrorism, counter-terrorism, and extremist insurgencies. Its concern is to foster a more sophisticated understanding of how oral and digital cultures work alongside economic, diplomatic, and cultural factors that influence the struggles between states and non-state actors in the proverbial battle of hearts and minds. Beyond face-to-face communication, the authors also address the role of new and social media in the creation and spread of rumors. As narrative forms, rumors are suitable to a wide range of political expression, from citizens, insurgents, and governments alike, and in places as distinct as Singapore, Iraq, and Indonesia—the case studies presented for analysis. The authors make a compelling argument for understanding rumors in these contexts as “narrative IEDs,” low-cost, low-tech weapons that can successfully counter such elaborate and expansive government initiatives as outreach campaigns or strategic communication efforts. While not exactly the same as the advanced technological systems or Improvised Explosive Devices to which they are metaphorically related, narrative IEDs nevertheless operate as weapons that can aid the extremist cause.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Narrative IEDs -- 1. Rumor Theory: Narrative Systems and Hegemonic Struggles in Contested Populations -- 2. Rumor Transmediation: Critical Mash-ups and a Singaporean Prison Break -- 3. Rumor Mosaics: Counterinsurgency Operations in Iraq’s Triangle of Death -- 4. Whisper Campaigns: State-Sponsored Rumors and the Post-Mortem (De)Construction of an Indonesian Terrorist -- 5. Coercion and Consent: Narrative Countermeasures in the Battle for “Hearts and Minds” -- Glossary -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Index