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Islamic State & the Theatre of Cruelty

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Islamic State & the Theatre of Cruelty TILBURG ISLAMIC STATE & THE UNIVERSITY THEATRE OF CRUELTY Parallels between the Islamic State & Artaudian Theatre Thesis Algemene Cultuurwetenschappen BA | LPW Driessen The Islamic State and the Theatre of Cruelty Parallels between the Islamic State & Artaudian Theatre by Lennart Driessen S577263 Bachelorthesis ACW Tilburg University - School of humanities Under the supervision of: Jan Jaap de Ruiter 2 "If the attacks on the Twin Towers used the iconography of the Hollywood action blockbuster, the beheadings in the desert evoke drama far more ancient – Old Testament strife, Hellenic legend. [..]It may sound unlikely, but ISIS is carrying out in extremis the program of the “theatre of cruelty” of the influential French dramaturge- demiurge Antonin Artaud." - Joji Sakurai for Yale Global "Artaud, a sickly child twisted further by the shock of World War I, wanted his actors to “assault the senses” of the audience, shocking parts of the psyche that other theatrical methods had failed to reach. Well, IS has read the book. It’s been obvious since September 11 that we’re living in an age of vicious political theater. That’s what “terrorism” is: the manipulation of large populations by shock and awe and “liberating unconscious emotions”" -Hugh Prysor-Jones for Chronicles Magazine 3 Index Introduction..............................................................................................................................p.5 Chapter 1 - Hypothesis and methodology................................................................................p.7 Chapter 2 - Islamic State Media...............................................................................................p.8 Chapter 2.1 - A vision on media..................................................................................p.8 Chapter 2.2 - al-Furqān - Reaching the Masses.........................................................p.10 Chapter 2.3 - Although the Disbelievers Dislike it....................................................p.13 Chapter 3 - The Theatre of Cruelty........................................................................................p.15 Chapter 3.1 - Artaud and his Doubles........................................................................p.15 Chapter 3.2 - Central ideas of the Artaudian Theatre................................................p.16 Chapter 3.3 - Audience in Artaudian Theatre............................................................p.18 Chapter 3.4 - The Theatre of Cruelty.........................................................................p.20 Chapter 4 - The Artaudian Theatre and Islamic State media compared................................p.21 Chapter 4.1 - Central Ideas.........................................................................................p.21 Chapter 4.2 - Audience - Performance relationship...................................................p.24 Chapter 4.3 - The practical Performance...................................................................p.27 Chapter 5 - Conclusion..........................................................................................................p.35 Bibliography..........................................................................................................................p.37 4 Introduction Amidst the summer of 2014, the geopolitical stage was staggered by the gruesome videos of the Islamic State. Starting a series of terrifying communiqués with an online published video of the beheading of journalist James Foley in A message to America, the Islamic State quickly set a new standard for extremists use of media as a propaganda tool. As the extreme display of violence has become the hallmark of the Islamic State, journalists in various media1 have suggested a link between these brutal videos and avant-garde dramaturge Antonin Artaud and his 'Theatre of Cruelty'. The Islamic States' media and Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty are initially connected by the superficial characterization of both being predominantly cruel. I have taken this suggestion as my cue to research in this thesis whether Islamic States' media does or doesn't compare to Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty. Why? one should ask. It is my firm belief that the Islamic State is an incredibly complex issue. There is not one simple answer to solving the threat that IS poses. Therefore, many facets and aspects concerning the Islamic State deserve equal parts of attention through research and debate. Through this thesis, I will make an attempt at adding a perspective to the discussion on Islamic State's media through the framework of modernist theatrical theory. The research done is comparative in nature, by examining comparing and contrasting elements between the principal ideas, the audience/performance relation and the performance itself, I hope to reach a detailed and nuanced understanding on how the Islamic State and Artaudian theatre relate to each other through the perspective of a theatrical performance. This thesis, is not by any means an attempt to either explain the entirety of the Islamic State's propaganda machine, nor is it an attempt to capture the full extent of Artaud's theoretical writings, as both subjects surpass in complexity and vastness the necessary content required for answering my hypothesis. For a deeper understanding on either subject, I would advise the reader to indulge into the various articles and works I have consulted during my research. Finally, I would like to add that this thesis is written under the assumption that the Islamic State's media can be interpreted as a performance, thus making a comparison within a theatrical theory feasible. 1 Joji Sakurai for Yale Global & Hugh Prysor-Jones for Chronicles Magazine 5 This thesis is written under the supervision of Jan Jaap de Ruiter, during the fall semester of 2015-2016 at Tilburg University, faculty of humanities, in order to fulfill the requirements for the Bachelors degree Algemene Cultuurwetenschappen. 6 Chapter 1. Hypothesis and methodology This thesis is dedicated to answering the question whether Islamic State's media outlets share significant resemblance with the theatrical theory and practical performance of Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty, as described in his work The Theater and its Doubles (1938). Therefore I use the following hypothesis: Hypothesis: The Islamic State's media productions are carrying out Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty. To test this hypothesis, I concentrate on three different elements: The central ideas behind the performance, the audience/performance relationship and the performance itself. They result in the following research questions: RQ1: Do the ideas behind the Islamic State media compare to Artaud's ideas on theatre? RQ2: Does the audience/performance relation in Islamic State media compare to Artaud's? RQ3: Does the performance of Islamic State media compare to the Artaudian performance? The methodology used is straightforward: By comparing crucial elements of both subjects, a decision will be made based on whether the similarities outweigh the differences, or vice versa. The hypothesis will then be accepted or rejected on basis of the accumulative outcome of the research questions as proposed. 7 Chapter 2. Islamic State Media In this chapter, I discuss the video Although the Disbelievers Dislike It. In the first section, I will explain the vision of IS on media through the influential work The Management of Savagery by Abu Bakr Naji. In the second section I will discuss the al- Furqan media division and the IS media/audience relation. Finally, I will digress on the video Although the Disbelievers Dislike It, providing material for a case study into the Artaudian theatre. 2.1 A vision on media The creation of the Islamic State has been a process that can be traced back to over a decade ago (Hashim, 2014). Starting as an al-Qaeda affiliate, many of their ideas on the creation of the ideal Muslim state, the Umma, have been adopted by the Islamic State. One work in particular has become influential in their strategy: The Management of Savagery, by alleged al-Qaeda strategist Abu Bakr al-Naji (2004). (Saltman & Winter, 2014, p.29) To understand the important role of media in the IS, it is paramount to look at the writings of Naji in relation to media. The Management of Savagery, in short, attempts to improve on Jihadi operations by pointing out the mismanagement of resources, recruits and violence in former Jihad movements. The work contains an elaborate plan of multiple stages necessary to incorporate various regions into the 'Umma' or 'Ummah'. (Helfstein, 2009) On the subject of media, Naji describes an established 'deceptive media halo' that has dissipated the self-awareness of the masses. On this behalf, powers that would be able to govern the state, for the sake of rejecting iniquities and honoring the mass consensus on justice, would be hindered by this 'media halo'. This media halo is maintained by two superpowers (America & Russia), portraying their political power as non-coercive and world-encompassing. (p.14 -17) "According to the media deception, it is an all-encompassing, overwhelming power and people are subservient to it not only through fear, but also through love because it spreads freedom, justice, equality among humanity, and various other slogans." (p.18) Naji sets as goals in the Jihadi movement concerning media strategy: to reveal the deceptive media to be a powerless force in order to destroy the respect for America and push it to abandon its psychological media war
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