Entrepreneurs of Identity: The Islamic State’s Symbolic Repertoire

Christoph Günther

Published by Berghahn Books 2022

Entrepreneurs of Identity

The Islamic State’s Symbolic Repertoire

Christoph Günther

Volume 25 in the series Integration and Conflict Studies

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781800732674

Overview
Contents

About this book

Describing the Islamic State’s ideologues as ‘entrepreneurs of identity’, this book explores how the group defined categories of social identity and used them as tools of communicative and cognitive structuring. Based on a wide dossier of original texts, speeches, images, and videos, the book examines how these ideologues have built a symbolic repertoire around the black flag as well as ideas and social practices such as the dictum to command good and forbid wrong, the supervision of public behaviour, and the oath of allegiance to the Caliph.

Author / Editor information

Christoph Günther is the Principal Investigator of the junior research group "Jihadism on the Internet: Images and Videos, Their Dissemination and Appropriation" in the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Mainz. His recent publications include the co-edited Jihadi Audiovisuality and its Entanglements: Meanings, Aesthetics, Appropriations (Edinburgh University Press, 2020).

Reviews

“An excellent study of a contemporary politico-religious movement, which readers, including those who follow current events, will find informative and provocative. The author provides a sophisticated analysis of topical issues such as Sunni-Shii differences, sectarianism, nationalism, and identity politics.” • Lois Beck, Washington University In Saint Louis

“This book provides a valuable new perspective on the Islamic State by exploring how its ideologues, as ‘entrepreneurs of identity’, sought to construct and authorize categories of social identity in order to offer existential and ontological security to its sympathizers.” • Pieter Nanninga, University of Groningen

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Figures Publicly Available Download PDF	viii
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	x
Notes on Translations and Transliterations Publicly Available Download PDF	xii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1 Entrepreneurs of Identity and the Sectarianisation of Iraq and Syria Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
Chapter 2 The Caliphate Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
Chapter 3 Iconography and Iconoclasm Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	88
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Glossary of Frequently Used Arabic Terms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	160
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	162
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	202

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 220
Keywords: Anthropology of Religion; Political and Economic Anthropology; Peace and Conflict Studies

eBook

Published: January 14, 2022
ISBN: 9781800732674