Studien des Leibniz-Instituts für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung: Advancing Theory and Practice of Digital Narrative Campaigns against Extremism

Schlegel, Linda

Counter- and alternative narrative (CAN) campaigns have become a widely used tool in contemporary efforts to prevent and/or counter (violent) extremism (P/CVE).  However, one element is conspicuously absent from the discourse: There is little engagement with CANs as narratives and neither CAN theory nor practice are based on existing research findings on narrative persuasion processes. This is a crucial gap in the current CAN approach. Not situating CANs within the broader discourse on narrative persuasion and drawing from the insights narrative persuasion studies offer significantly weakens the theoretical foundation, practical development, (storytelling) quality, and analysis of CAN campaigns.

This book addresses this research gap and transfers concepts, theories, and insights from narrative persuasion and storytelling research to the context of P/CVE narrative campaigns.  The author demonstrates that the often-criticized CAN approach can be improved significantly by understanding CANs as narrative persuasion campaigns and grounding them in existing research detailing how to tell entertaining and persuasive stories.

Awarded the Doctoral Prize for Democracy Research by the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art, and Culture. 

Details

Published by: Springer VS

Publication Date: 2025-05-24

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9783658478124

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-47813-1

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 532