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Article published In: Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 21:5 (2022) ► pp.675–696

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Utopia, war, and justice

The discursive construction of the state in ISIS’ political communications

 | Independent Scholar
ORCiD logo with link | Duke University
Published online: 24 February 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.21016.moo
Abstract
Between 2014 and 2017, Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) morphed from a terrorist organization into a proto-state that held a large swathe of territory, within which its strict interpretation of sharia law was enforced. We argue that ISIS discursively constructed itself politically by appealing to elements of both a traditional Islamic caliphate and a modern legitimate state. Linguistic and semiotic data is presented from political communications through social media that revolve around three key themes, specifically the construction of a utopian state founded on justice and engaged in righteous war, which all rely fundamentally on a conception of the modern state as holding a “monopoly on the legitimate use of force”, in Weber’s definition. We analyze this data from a critical discourse analysis (CDA) perspective, within a theoretical framework that draws on the political sociology of the state and political communications in asymmetric conflicts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methodological underpinnings
  • 3.Theoretical paradigms
    • 3.1The political sociology of the state
      • 3.1.1Monopoly of legitimate force
      • 3.1.2Coercion and compulsion
      • 3.1.3Authority and legitimacy
      • 3.1.4Territoriality and sovereignty
    • 3.2Asymmetric warfare and political communications
  • 4.Discourses of utopia, war, and justice in ISIS texts
    • 4.1Utopia
    • 4.2War
    • 4.3Justice
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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