Decoding dāʻish : : an analysis of poetic exemplars and discursive strategies of domination in the jihadist milieu / / Kurstin Gatt.

• Superior document: Literaturen im Kontext ; Volume 45
• VerfasserIn: Gatt, Kurstin,
• Place / Publishing House: Wiesbaden : : Reichert Verlag,, [2020]; ©2020
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Series: Literaturen im Kontext ; Volume 45.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xiii, 321 pages) :; illustrations.

Why do Jihadists compose poetry and what role does poetry play in the transmission of the jihadist ideology? Decoding DĀʿISH is located at the intersections of the literary, the religious, and the political in jihadist discourse. The study examines how the self-professed 'Islamic State' has twisted and manipulated the Arabic language, the classical Arabic ode, Islamic symbolism, traditions, and guiding myths to legitimate its political power and justify its violent policies. The discussion culminates in the analysis of Arabic poetry produced by the jihadist group by taking into consideration the socio-political context in the contemporary Iraq-Syria region. By drawing primarily upon numerous poems and chants, the author shows why our knowledge of the jihadist stream needs to be grounded in a thorough understanding of the cultural logics of mobilization, identity structures, and the belief systems and desires of these groups.

Table of Contents

Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- A Note on Transcription -- Introduction -- PART I. SETTING THE SCENE -- Chapter 1. The Emergenceof DA lSH as Part ofthe Jihadist Milieu -- 1.1. Defining 'the Islamic State Organization': The Achilles Heel -- 1.2. Contextualizing the Relationship between Islam, Islamism, and Jihadism -- 1.3. The Impact ofthe US-led Invasion ofIraq in 2003 on Jihadist Groups -- 1.4. Conflating Violence with Religious Mores -- Chapter 2. Trajectories of Domination, Tradition, and Orality -- 2.1. Conceptualizing Discursive Strategies of Domination in the Symbolic World -- ofDA ISH -- 2.2. Tradition as a Mobilizing Force -- 2.2.1. Political Mobilization based on Images ofthe Past in the Iraq-Syria Region -- 2.2.2. Different Facets ofModernity in the Jihadist Milieu -- 2.3. Orality and the Psychodynamics ofOrally Based Thought -- 2.3.1. Repetition -- 2.3.2. Here-and-Now -- 2.3.3. The Communal Experience -- 2.4. The Popular Appeal ofthe Qasida in Contemporary Times -- PART II. FUNCTIONS OF DA ISH DISCOURSE -- Chapter 3. Discursive Strategies of Domination -- 3.1. Ideologization ofthe Arabic Language -- 3.1.1. Discourse as an Instrument for Manipulative Control -- 3.1.2. The Totalizing Force ofRepetition -- 3.2. Identity Construction through Discursive Means -- 3.2.1. Naming Strategies -- 3.2.1.1. Names of Propaganda Magazines -- 3.2.1.2. Names ofMedia Outlets -- 3.2.1.3. Al-Khansa' Brigade -- 3.2.1.4. Nom de Guerre -- 3.2.2. Promoting a Jihadist Identity through Lexicalization -- 3.2.2.1. Traditional Moral Values -- 3.2.3. The Ideological Function ofIconography -- Chapter 4. The Hallmarks ofDAlSH Poetry in the Jihadist Milieu -- 4.1. Retooling the Classical Arabic Ode -- 4.2. Classifying DA lSH Poetry as 'Modem,' 'Ideological,' and 'Jihadist' -- 4.3. DA lSH Poetry as Platform Poetry121 -- 4.4. The Musical Component of DA lSH Poetry -- 4.5. The Quality of DA lSH Poetry -- 4.6. A False Sense ofIltizam -- 4.7. Functions of DA lSH Poetry -- 4.7.1. The Function ofCommunication -- 4.7.2. The Social Function -- 4.7.3. The Function ofEmotional Expression -- PART III. THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF DA lSH POETRY -- Chapter 5. Blood Vengeance as a Moral Code ofAction -- 5.1. Conceptualizing Blood Vengeance -- 5.2. Thematic Schemata of DA lSH Poetry -- 5.2.1. Elegiac Verses -- 5.2.2. Verses ofIncitement -- 5.2.3. Verses ofMilitary Zeal -- 5.2.4. Verses ofAsceticism -- 5.3. The Blood Metaphor -- 5.3.1. Drinking and Composing Letters in Blood -- Chapter 6. Poetry as a Vehicle ofIdeological Transmission -- 6.1. Mobilizing Poetry to Enforce a Specific Worldview -- 6.1.1. At Your Service O Sister -- 6.1.2. My Brother in Religion -- 6.1.3. Let the World Verily Witness thatI am a DA TSH Member -- 6.1.4. At Your Service Ansar al-Shari a -- 6.1.5. To al-Bayda -- 6.1.6. The Lands ofTruth are My Home -- 6.1.7. Indeed, Whenever the Rulers Deviate,They Disappear -- 6.2. Resemblances between the Literary Manifestations ofDAISH and Kharijism -- Conclusion -- Appendix A -- Appendix B -- Works Cited.