“The Terrorist Image: Decoding the Islamic State’s Photo-Propaganda” by Dr. Charlie Winter, reviewed by Dr. Robert J. Bunker of SWJ
C/O Futures Book Review
9 September 2024
“The author of The Terrorist Image, Dr. Charlie Winter, is presently the Chief Research Officer and Co-Founder of ExTrac (which uses AI supported systems to analyze violent extremist data), holds a number of associate fellow and senior research positions with various universities and programs, and is a subject matter expert on the relationship between propaganda and insurgency.[1] The work, derived from his doctoral thesis, utilizes imagery taken from official Islamic State media distribution products. This curated data set comprising many dozens of images (included in the work in glossy black and white form) is taken from over 17,000 photographs collected by the author from his research spanning the 2015-2017 period. While some graphic photographs have been analyzed in the work, the pictures themselves have been omitted. The research behind the book, funded by Facebook, can be considered a unique one-off endeavor and representative of one of the more sophisticated IS narrative (i.e. internally and externally PSYOPs focused) works published to date.”
Dr. Bunker gives his expertise in this compelling review of Dr. Charlie Winter’s book. Click here to view his book review.
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