A common transnational agenda? Communication network and discourse of political-Salafists on Twitter. Issue 2 (3rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ranko, Annette; Nedza, Justyna; Röhl, Nikolai
• Is Part Of: Mediterranean politics. Volume 23:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 286
• Page End: 308
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03
• Subjects: Salafism -- political Islam -- regional politics -- social media analysis; Mediterranean Region -- Politics and government -- 1945- -- Periodicals; 320.91822
• DOI: 10.1080/13629395.2017.1281398
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1362-9395

Abstract

Abstract: Employing social network analysis, this article investigates the transnational communication network and discourse of political -Salafists on social media. It examines whether political -Salafists across the MENA region have a common sociopolitical and geopolitical agenda, and whether – given the recent shift of some political -Salafists towards violence – their discourse and communication network can still be distinguished from that of the jihadists . The analysis finds that political -Salafists do not share a common agenda but that their discourse and communication network display three transnational gravity centres: a revisionist, a status quo-oriented and an ostracized pro-Sisi gravity centre. Only the revisionist gravity centre advocates violence. Its discourse, however, remains clearly set apart from that of the jihadists .