Surviving the Islamic State

Based on an original survey from Baghdad alongside key interviews in the field, this book offers an insightful account of how Iraqis in different areas of the country responded to the rise and fall of the Islamic State.

Austin Knuppe is an assistant professor of political science at Utah State University, where he serves on the faculty advisory board of the Heravi Peace Institute.

Richard A. Nielsen, author of Deadly Clerics: Blocked Ambition and the Paths to Jihad:
Surviving horrors of war is one of humanity’s timeless and gripping tales. Knuppe tells the story afresh, with important new evidence from Iraq that is at once intimately local and tragically universal. Important new data from surveys and interviews share the voices of ordinary Iraqis trying to survive the rise and fall of the Islamic State, with crucial insights for our understanding of political violence everywhere.

Ellen Lust, author of Everyday Choices: The Role of Competing Authorities and Social Institutions in Politics and Development:
Surviving the Islamic State is a well-written, detailed, interesting study of how Iraqis used heuristics around social identity, reputation, and behavior to determine their responses to the Islamic State. It explores how responses change depending on individuals’ circumstances and community contexts, raises important questions around volition and agency, and points to potential long-term implications of politicized identities and socioeconomic inequalities. In doing so, this book provides insights that extend beyond the study of conflict.

Oliver Kaplan, author of Resisting War: How Communities Protect Themselves:
Knuppe’s book is a major contribution to our understanding of civilians’ repertoires of survival during wartime. Through his interviews and survey data he takes readers deep inside Iraqi society. He shows how civilians assess insurgent groups and weigh the risks of retaliation as they decide whether to acquiesce, mount ‘everyday resistance,’ or pursue even more active forms of opposition. This book is an indispensable resource for scholars and students focusing on the Middle East and civilian-insurgent interactions.