Edited by Matthias J. Becker, Marcus Scheiber, and Uffa Jensen

This edited volume explores the evolving role of visual and multimodal expressions in spreading hate ideologies within digital communication. In digital spaces, hate speech is increasingly conveyed through memes, images, and videos, blending textual and pictorial elements to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and other exclusionary narratives. While historical perspectives on hate imagery are well-documented, this collection emphasises the pressing need for contemporary analysis of visual and multimodal communication in digital environments. Featuring contributions from interdisciplinary experts, this volume investigates the content, structure, and dynamics of normalisation of visual hate speech. By examining memes, manipulated images, and other visual artifacts, it reveals how hateful content gains traction in digital public spheres, often blurring traditional boundaries of acceptability. Through rigorous case studies and theoretical insights, the anthology provides a comprehensive understanding of how multimodality shapes hate discourse and its societal impact. Grounded in empirical research, this collection also addresses the challenges of defining and analysing hate ideologies, offering nuanced frameworks for distinguishing legitimate critique from hate-based narratives. Decoding Visual Hate is an essential resource for scholars, policymakers, teachers, and digital communicators seeking to combat the proliferation of visual hate and foster more inclusive online spaces.

Cambridge, U: Open Book Publishers, 2025. 278p.

By Scarlet Harris

Drawing on first-hand accounts from anti-racist activists and community workers in two British cities, Islamophobia, anti-racism and the British left explores the treatment of Islamophobia by those committed to challenging it. The book interrogates the ways in which anti-racist activists and community workers understand the problem of Islamophobia, and what this means for their organised responses on the ground. Islamophobia remains one of the most misunderstood varieties of racism in the current moment. By combining empirical research with sociological theory, the book casts a clarifying lens on Islamophobia’s complex relationship to ‘race’, other modalities of racism and wider structures of racial capitalism. Furthermore, it offers a critical assessment of recent attempts to talk about and tackle Islamophobia. Reflecting on key political trends in Britain, from the entrenchment of ‘counter-extremism’ policy, liberal hegemony and resurgent left nationalisms, to histories of Black radicalism and recent pro-Palestine activism, Islamophobia, anti-racism and the British left offers an alternative approach to resisting Islamophobia from and for the anti-racist left.

Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2025. 177p.