Abstract
During its violent spread across the Middle East, the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) amassed both a local and international following in large part due to its usage of emergent media distribution. Beginning in 2014, ISIS’s Ministry of Media published an English-language magazine, Dabiq, disseminating its issues through online platforms. Dabiq and its successor Rumiyah both serve as propagandistic recruitment material for ISIS’s international community as well as broadcasting the message of the jihadist movement to ISIS’s enemies. This study analyzed ISIS’s publications using a qualitative content analysis in order to identify jihadist recruitment strategies through the perspectives of agenda-setting theory, the diffusion of innovations, symbolic convergence theory, and speech codes theory. These communication theories characterize the roles that civilizational conflict, population demographics, narrative themes, and emergent media play in the diffusion of the jihadist movement. This study samples the textual content and imagery of issues of Dabiq and Rumiyah, using thematic analysis to procedurally code the data by recognizing shared characteristics and concepts. The fundamental goal of this study is to gain a greater understanding of the way ISIS, its members, and the jihadist movement communicate their intentions, with the hope of preventing further recruitment and radicalization. The two following research questions drive this study: (1) What themes are present in the ISIS publications of Dabiq and Rumiyah? (2) How do the themes of these publications vary over time?
Thesis Completion
2018
Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair/Advisor
Matusitz, Jonathan
Co-Chair
Neuberger, Lindsay; Reynolds, Ted
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Nicholson School of Communication
Degree Program
Human Communication
Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Release Date
5-1-2018
Recommended Citation
Udani, Catalina M., "A Content Analysis of Jihadist Magazines: Theoretical Perspectives" (2018). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 351.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/351
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Defense and Security Studies Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, International Relations Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Other Political Science Commons, Political Theory Commons, Terrorism Studies Commons
Accessibility Statement
This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2027, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.