Recruiting for the Cause(s): Extremist Propaganda and Radicalization Discourse

<p>In the “age of the internet,” characterized by the widespread use of social media platforms and user-generated content, extremist propaganda flourishes. Extremist propaganda deploys language to unite and recruit people to an ideological cause rooted in violence; however, existing research about this remains hyper-focused on Islamic extremism, leaving many other groups and ideologies underexplored. Therefore, I ask to what extent does propaganda from non-Islamist extremist groups follow similar discursive patterns and convey similar ideologies to that in Islamist extremist propaganda? And what explains the differences between the discursive patterns, if any? Drawing from broader theories of interpretivism, radicalization, and sociolinguistics, and employing multiple methods of qualitative data collection across digital spaces, I analyzed 14,988 pages of extremist content from the following groups: al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, The Islamic State, and al-Shabaab (Islamist); Atomwaffen Division, Order of Nine Angles, and The Black Order of Pan Europa (White supremacist); and two single-issue groups—Army of God (anti-abortion) and Animal Liberation Front (animal rights). I find that Islamist propaganda appeals to eligible in-groups, defines out-groups, and offers solutions to deal with the out-groups’ supposed threats. While we may expect that the other groups would display similar discursive patterns, given what existing research suggests, there is considerable variation. White supremacists, animal rights, and anti-abortion groups’ propaganda justifies violence in nearly identical ways to Islamists, but it differs in how it constructs in-group identities to recruit potential adherents. These differences are a function of the groups’ ideologies and specific recruitment goals, which are instrumental in shaping how these extremists communicate with their (potential) adherents. By showing that not all propaganda mimics Islamist propaganda, my research advances our thinking about how propaganda is constructed to radicalize its consumers, and it may be used to improve content detection and moderation algorithms, hash-sharing databases, and extremist counter-narratives.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Criminal Justice

Grantor

The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Perez-Torres, Jeremiah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Samantha Majic

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Amy Adamczyk
• Heath Brown
• Robin Wagner-Pacifici

• Criminology
• Discourse and Text Linguistics
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Terrorism Studies
• Online Extremism
• Radicalization
• Propaganda
• Terrorism
• Security

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6309

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:gc_etds-7438