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Imaginary geographies of religious terrorism: ISIS’s popular culture

This article shows how an arrangement of divine justification has led the popular culture of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) to incite violent actions towards the charismatisation and imaginary connec tion of God, Caliph and territory. ISIS’s discourse includes the mental reconstruction of the world map using imaginary geographies of God and evil. This research expands the geopolitical literature related to discourses of terrorism. It shows how representations of God’s suc cession on earth can employ the use of religious justifications for violent territoriality through disruption of the world’s territorial order. The research methodology is based on critical discourse analysis to deconstruct the dominant images created by ISIS’s popular culture. The research data is analysed in three ways: 1) Examining the dis course of ISIS leaders by referring to speeches and writings, 2) Comprehensive review of 15 volumes of Dabiq magazine and 3) Using previous geopolitical literature related to ISIS and terrorism for broader analysis. The results of the research show that ISIS, in addition to the thick use of violent geopolitical actions for material territoriality, used the media, rhetoric and spatial imagination by integrating thin spiritual justifications to increase its discursive power to mobilise more followers and build a divine image of itself.

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