Of Heroes and Mothers: Locating Gender in Ideological Narratives of Salafi-Jihadist and Extreme Right Propaganda

Abstract

This article analyses how and why gender is used in ideological narratives of Salafi-jihadist and extreme right propaganda. It argues that five overarching gendered narratives are leveraged to increase the appeal and resonance of overarching ideological narratives: constructions of a corrupt gender order linked to crisis; constructions of a historically traditional gender order reinstituted by the in-group; portrayals of “good” men and women contributing to solutions and “bad” men and women warranting punishment; constructions of local gendered crises that justify violent action from the in-group; and the juxtaposition of masculinities and femininities to shame or empower audiences into action.