@article{ref1,
title="Using culture and psychology to counter the Taliban's violent narratives",
journal="International review of psychiatry",
year="2017",
author="Aggarwal, Neil Krishan",
volume="29",
number="4",
pages="313-319",
abstract="Scholars, politicians, and policy-makers have increasingly pointed to the role of narratives in recruiting militants and justifying violence, highlighting the need for counter-narratives that promote peace. However, few have offered concrete guidelines on how to construct counter-narratives. This exploratory study uses prototype theory from social psychology to analyse Taliban narratives written in Arabic on the historical figure Maḥmūd of Ghaznī (971-1030), who is portrayed as a figure worthy of emulation. Key themes emerge from the Taliban's narratives: potential ingroup members are defined as Sunni Muslims who are committed to jihad; deviant Muslims must become Sunnis; non-Muslims must be converted and humiliated; and Taliban leaders should emulate Maḥmūd of Ghaznī's attributes. Contrasting the Taliban's narratives of Maḥmūd of Ghaznī with the historical record reveals themes that are culled empirically around which counter-narratives could be constructed.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0954-0261",
doi="10.1080/09540261.2017.1343530",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2017.1343530"
}