Enemy Images

Kristian Steiner is Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at Malmö University, Sweden. He has authored numerous articles in peace and conflict studies and political science. His research revolves around the usage of religious language to justify violence. He co-edited Expressions of Radicalization: Global Politics, Processes and Practices (with Andreas Önnerfors, 2018).Andreas Jahrehorn Önnerfors is Full Professor in Intellectual History and works as a project manager at Fojo Media Institute at Linnaeus University, Sweden. He has specialized in contemporary radicalization, populist mobilization, and conspiratorial meaning-making. In 2021, he co-edited Europe: Continent of Conspiracies. Conspiracy Theories in and about Europe (with André Krouwel).

'Enemy Images provides a comprehensive overview of our history of socially constructing an enemy Other, documenting how and why we marshal racist stereotypes and scapegoating rhetoric to inflame emotions and spur aggression. A much-needed primer to help make sense of the dehumanizing propaganda so prevalent in contemporary geo-political conflicts.'Erin Steuter, Mount Allison University, author of At War with Metaphor: Media, Propaganda, and Racism in the War on Terror'A must-read for anyone who wishes to understand and analyse enemy images. This impressively multidisciplinary book is a treasure trove and great source of inspiration for all students and scholars of peace and conflict in all their forms.'Leena Malkki, University of Helsinki, director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Helsinki and co-editor of The Routledge Handbook on Radicalisation and Countering Radicalisation'Enemy Images: Emergence, Consequences, and Counteraction is a thought-provoking and timely book that offers both a deep analysis of how adversarial perceptions shape societies and practical solutions to counteract them. Steiner and Önnerfors present a compelling argument for addressing enemy images as a crucial step toward conflict resolution and social cohesion in an increasingly polarized world.'Jan Erola, Nordic Defence Review

• 1. Why study enemy images?: An introduction2. What is an enemy image?: Concepts and ideal types3. How to make enemy images persuasive: Senders, messages and discursive consistency4. Why are enemy images accepted?: Individual and structural factors5. Who is targeted by enemy images?:Socio-psychological and cognitive drivers6. How to counteract enemy images: Interventions and measures7 . Expressions of enemy images: Media and manipulationIndex