Paroles armées

Philippe-Joseph Salazar : PAROLES ARMÉES

(Words are Weapons. Inside ISIS’s Rhetoric of Terror)

Lemieux Éditeur, September 2015, 264 pages

• Italian edition (published), Bompiani : Parole armate. Quello che l’ISIS si dice e che non capiamo.
• Spanish (world) edition, Anagrama : Palabras armadas. Entender y combatir la propaganda terrorista, translated by Ignacio Vidal-Folch.
• German edition to be released on 29 August 2016 by Random House/Pantheon Verlag : Die Sprache des Terrors. Warum wir die Propaganda des IS verstehen müssen, um ihn bekämpfen zu können.
• English (world) edition to be released by Yale University Press : Words are Weapons. Inside ISIS’s Rhetoric of Terror.
• Arabic (world) : translation to be published by Dar Al Farabi, Beirut, 2017.

WINNER of the Prix Bristol des Lumières 2015 !

This is an accessible study of the patterns of persuasion used by the Islamic State. Salazar offers a chance to understand the language of the new Caliphate, going beyond rhetorical study to provide insight into the history and politics, and describing opposing conceptions of war.

• This essay gives a thorough analysis of the situation in order to better deconstruct the communication strategy implemented by IS and Salafi Jihadism.

• Salazar bases his argument on new and detailed documents and illustrates it with concrete examples.

Salazar shows with great clarity why understanding the caliphate’s rhetoric should allow Westerners to negotiate with IS. He believes that our armed counterattack won’t be sufficient. His essay helps readers understand what makes terrorist propaganda so effective and convincing, and shows why Western speech remains weak compared to powerful jihadist propaganda.

"I have a sound knowledge of the Arabic rhetorical tradition, and I began to see just how misplaced the sarcasm and derision was. I thought, even if this is the enemy, let us not deride it and we must take it seriously." Ph-J. Salazar, in Cape Argus, 21st November 2015

Philippe-Joseph Salazar (1955) is a French rhetorician and philosopher. Former Programme Director at the Collège International de Philosophie, he has been a Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Cape Town since 1995. Among his many publishhed works, are : Mahomet (Klincksieck, 2005), L’Hyperpolitique (Klincksieck, 2009) and Paroles de leaders (François Bourin Éditeur, 2011).
He was born in Morocco and speaks French, English fluently.

"After two weeks of overflowing emotions, sentiments and solidarity, the sharp and clear voice of Philippe-Joseph Salazar has recently pierced the clatter of 24-hour news culture and the fog of war. His views are the sharpest and most thought-provoking I have read in a long time on the subject. (...) Salazar offers frightful and at times unbearable clarity." The Guardian, 29/11/15

"An accurate, richly documented work that deconstructs the new challenges of the argumentative power of jihadism, highlighting collective and institutional weaknesses in the evaluation of violent persuasion strategies." Cape Argus, South Africa, 21/11/15

"In this essay, the author deciphers the power of argumentation and mass persuasion in which the jihadists engage. Because, in order to fight terrorist propaganda, one must first understand it." IVERIS, 18/10/15

"In this remarkable essay, Salazar explains the power of jihadist propaganda and encourages us to assimilate their language and codes in order not to be powerless against it." Valeurs Actuelles, 19/10/15

"This philosopher and rhetorician deems that western governments have made many mistakes in the fight against jihadists : first, and not least importantly, by misreading their propagandist discourse and not understanding how it can seduce the youth in search of adventure." La Cité, 21/11/15

Click here to see what the media say on Paroles armées.

Rights :

• Germany, Nordic countries & Netherlands : Wandel-Cruse Literary Agency, Arabella Cruse
• Central and Eastern Europe, and Byelorussia, Russia and Ukraine : Lester Agency, Anastassia Lester and Laura Karayotov
• The rest of the world : Patricia Pasqualini Literary Agency, Patricia Pasqualini