Storytelling Against Extremism

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.

About the author

Linda Schlegel is a PostDoc Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and at modus - Center for Applied Research on Deradicalization. She researches radicalization processes and extremism prevention in the digital space, especially narrative campaigns and online gaming.