Countering reactionary co-radicalization (RC-R): using multi-representational ads

ABSTRACT

This study analyses a prototypical ad for countering reactive co-radicalisation, a radicalisation process that occurs in one population segment as a response to radicalisation perceived in another population segment. We employ a multi-representational approach to develop an ad-based solution for undermining dehumanisation of perceived “others”. This “re-humanisation” process is illustrated within the context of the “Mad Mullah” stereotype, a traditional target of reactive co-radicalisation used by right-wing extremists. Using a combination of Critical Visual Theory (CVT) and Dimensional Qualitative Research (DQR), we reveal the structuration of empathy embedded within the re-humanised image of the Muslim “other” in the ad. This contributes to current understanding of attitudinal inoculation by explaining the importance of cultivating empathy in the process of re-humanising the dehumanised “other”.

KEYWORDS:

• Reactive co-radicalisation
• individuation
• empathy
• dehumanisation
• re-humanisation
• extremism
• inoculation theory

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Richard Jackson and the anonymous reviewers for their guidance. We also thank Rob Kozinets for his comments on an earlier draft of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKEzqGHS2hw.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Haseeb Shabbir

Haseeb Shabbir is a Reader in Voluntary Sector Management at Bayes Business School, City, University of London. His research spans ethics in advertising, inclusive imagery and not for profit marketing. He has extensive experience in coaching managers from international peace NGOs, on marketing and communications. In 2017, he hosted one of the world’s first conference special sessions on ‘peace marketing’ and has co-authored (with D. Dean) on theorising the concept of peace marketing. His work has been published in the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business Ethics, Psychology & Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, and in the Journal of Service Research.

Paul Baines

Paul Baines is Professor of Political Marketing and Deputy Dean at the University of Leicester, Visiting Professor at Cranfield and Aston Universities, and Associate Fellow at King’s College’s Centre for Strategic Communications. He is (co)author/editor of 100+ articles, chapters and books including the SAGE Handbook of Propaganda (2020). Paul’s research focuses on political marketing, military influence and (counter)propaganda. Paul has worked on strategic communication research for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, UK Law Enforcement and overseas government departments.

Dianne Dean

Dianne Dean is Professor of Cultural Values and Practices at Sheffield Business School. Her background in Political Marketing has focused on trust, persuasion and propaganda, particularly among minoritized groups. Her work falls in the area of Transformative Consumer Research which seeks to use marketing for good. She has worked on theorising the concept of peace marketing and is co-author (with H.A. Shabbir) of a chapter in the SAGE Handbook of Propaganda. She has published in journals such as Journal of Service Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of Business Research.

Kurt Braddock

Kurt Braddock is an Assistant Professor of Public Communication at American University. His research centers on the persuasive strategies employed by extremists to draw audiences to their cause. Dr Braddock has published dozens of articles on radicalization in security and communication outlets, as well as the book Weaponized Words: The Strategic Role of Persuasion in Violent Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization (Cambridge University Press, 2020). He advises a number of national and international security organizations, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of State, the UK Home Office, and the UN Office for Counter-Terrorism.