The Language of Terrorists - (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare) by Julia Ebner (Paperback)

About the Book

How can we tell the difference between online bluster and terrorist threats? Julia Ebner--an internationally acclaimed expert on online radicalization--shows how language patterns reveal the potential for political violence.

Book Synopsis

If someone posts a death threat or a violent manifesto online, will they cross over from words to deeds? Explicit threats, intimidation campaigns, and incitements to violence are no rarity among white nationalists, incels, and other racist and misogynist extremists. Yet it is often difficult to determine whether they pose genuine risks, since the boundaries between trolling and true violent intent can be blurry. How can we tell the difference between online bluster and terrorist threats?

Julia Ebner--an internationally acclaimed expert on online radicalization--offers a fresh approach, showing how language patterns reveal the potential for political violence. She investigates the psychological underpinnings of texts by terrorists such as Anders Breivik, Dylann Roof, Elliot Rodger, and Brenton Tarrant, offering statistical and qualitative contrasts with nonviolent political writing. Ebner finds striking similarities among their manifestos, including the fusion of personal identity with the group, visceral othering of outgroups, narratives of existential conflict, and the glorification of violence. Following these trails, she demonstrates that perpetrators of extremist violence inadvertently give away their intentions in what they say. Featuring vivid writing and actionable conclusions, The Language of Terrorists presents a new model of violent threat detection that can address pressing challenges faced by the international security and intelligence communities.

Review Quotes

Dr. Ebner's well-researched, analytically robust, and excellently written book contributes significantly to the evolving study of technologically-fused extremism and terrorism. This is particularly so in her analysis of online terrorist manifestos, proposing a novel Violent Risk Index in relation to extremist verbiage, and the latter's potential utility in more readily detecting and undermining those inclined to conduct violence.--Dean C. Alexander, author of Family Terror Networks

Ebner's groundbreaking work gives us an improbable superpower: the ability to better predict when digital threats will turn into real world killing. Gripping, fascinating, and often surprising, The Language of Terrorists shines a psychological and linguistic light on the darkest corners of the human mind. Ebner is the real deal--and a brilliant guide.--Brian Klaas, author of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters

Julia Ebner is widely recognised as one of the world's leading experts on early detection of terrorism risk and this brilliant book shows why. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the roots of violent extremism.--Harvey Whitehouse, author of Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World

When is a joke just a joke, and when might it signal the next attack? Combining the rigors of anthropology and data analysis with a steely eye on multiple unfolding terrorist threats, Julia Ebner breaks new ground in separating the signal from the noise. Essential reading for threat analysts everywhere.--John Horgan, author of Terrorist Minds: The Psychology of Violent Extremism from Al-Qaeda to the Far Right

About the Author

Julia Ebner is the leader of the Violent Extremism Lab at the University of Oxford's Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion and co-executive director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. She regularly advises governments, intelligence agencies, tech firms, and international organizations. Her books include Going Dark: The Secret Social Lives of Extremists (2019) and Going Mainstream: How Extremists Are Taking Over (2023).