ILLINIOS

Speaker: Dr. Amanda Rogers, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow

Description: 

In contrast to conventional media portrayals of ISIS as “barbaric, irrational terrorists,” I argue that the so-called “Islamic State” exhibits a considerable degree of coordinated and programmatic calculation, towards the fulfillment of a coherent objective: political sovereignty. ISIS does not simply aim for the nostalgic utopia of a resurrected caliphate, but the establishment of a radically innovative mode of governance with subsequent international recognition—affectively transnational, and spatially anchored in definable, controlled territory. This analysis of strategic messaging focuses on organization’s deliberate deployment of recognizable communication models, rooted in the globalized financial, information, and political marketplace’s operative logics—notably, public diplomacy, corporate-styled PR, and the instigation of self-replicating “buzz” for viral campaigns.

Bio: 

Dr. Amanda E. Rogers serves as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Postcolonialist editorial board member, Muftah.Org staff writer, and works as a freelance photojournalist and political analyst—appearing in such forums as the BBC, Frontline Club, Al-Jazeera, and The New York Times. Her forthcoming book, Semiotics of Rebellion From Morocco to Egypt: Advertising Revolution and Marketing Allegiance, focuses on the politicization of heritage, arts, and culture by regime officials and opposition actors, at levels local, regional, and international—amidst claustrophobic globalization, “image wars” increasingly predominate in transnational theaters of combat.

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