The dark side of political marketing: Islamist propaganda, Reversal Theory and British Muslims
Authors: Baines, P.R., O'Shaughnessy, N.J., Moloney, K., Richards, B., Butler, S. and Gill, M.
Journal: European Journal of Marketing
Volume: 44
Issue: 3-4
Pages: 478-495
ISSN: 0309-0566
DOI: 10.1108/03090561011020543
Abstract:Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss exploratory research into the perceptions of British Muslims towards Islamist ideological messaging to contribute to the general debate on "radicalisation". Design/methodology/approach: Four focus groups were undertaken with a mixture of Bangladeshi and Pakistani British Muslims who were shown a selection of Islamist propaganda media clips, garnered from the internet. Findings: The paper proposess that Islamist communications focus on eliciting change in emotional states, specifically inducing the paratelic-excitement mode, by focusing around a meta-narrative of Muslims as a unitary grouping self-defined as victim to Western aggression. It concludes that British Muslim respondents were unsympathetic to the Islamist ideological messaging contained in the sample of propaganda clips. Originality/value: The paper provides an insight into how British Muslims might respond to Islamist communications, indicating that, while most are not susceptible to inducement of paratelic-excitement, others are likely to be, dependent on which genre of clip is used, the messages contained therein, and who that clip is targeted at. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Source: Scopus
