Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Samantha Majic

Committee Members

Amy Adamczyk

Heath Brown

Robin Wagner-Pacifici

Subject Categories

Criminology | Discourse and Text Linguistics | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Terrorism Studies

Keywords

Online Extremism, Radicalization, Propaganda, Terrorism, Security

Abstract

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.

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