IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION OF ISIS: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF DABIQ MAGAZINE

ABSTRACT

This thesis examines how the Islamic State popularly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) construct their identity in an online magazine called Dabiq. The study employs the qualitative approach. A purposive sampling technique was used to sample the 14th edition of the magazine. Drawing on social identity theory (SIT) and the concept of clusivity, I analyze ISIS’s group dynamics and their use of linguistic and lexical elements to construct their identity in Dabiq. I further probe into the expressive value of selected clusivity markers ISIS use to associate with favorable audience and dissociate from unfavorable audience. This was subtly constructed with the use of indexicals. Through cyber-ethnography and anchored on SIT, clusivity and the globalization theory, the study reveals that ISIS construct their identity as jihadists and paladins of Sharia as opposed to secular democracy. The study further indicates that ISIS propagated a call aimed at persuading Muslims to migrate to Iraq and Syria as a safe haven for salvation called Hijra or emigration. Furthermore, the study shows that ISIS use political communications as an online strategy in constructing their identity. The study concludes that the major aim of ISIS through their identity construction in the Dabiq magazine is to ensure a global sharia juridical state.