The Ideology of Incels: Misogyny and Victimhood as Justification for Political Violence
Shannon Zimmerman
Published online: 26 Oct 2022
A new group of socio-political actors has emerged from the depths of the internet. Thriving in the online Manosphere, the involuntary celibates, or “Incels,” are men who feel they have been victimized by feminism. Initially just another misogynist social group online, this article argues that Incels are moving beyond social commentary to become a political movement.
This article demonstrates that Incels have begun to craft a particularly violent political ideology drawing on a unique form of misogyny rooted in the construction of a counternarrative to hegemonic masculinity. Using critical narrative analysis, this article assesses the discourse and narratives used by the Incels to create their unique worldview and identifies core components of their emerging political ideology to understand how this group may justify the use of political violence as part of their political movement.
Shannon Zimmerman
Shannon Zimmerman is a Lecturer at Deakin University at the Australian War College. Prior to this she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research investigates the peace operations, specifically the protection of civilians in conflict environments characterised by asymmetric threats. She also studies misogyny motivated terrorism, looking at the online groups in the “Manosphere.” Shannon received her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2019 and her Masters in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University in 2012.
Shannon Zimmerman
Published online: 26 Oct 2022
A new group of socio-political actors has emerged from the depths of the internet. Thriving in the online Manosphere, the involuntary celibates, or “Incels,” are men who feel they have been victimized by feminism. Initially just another misogynist social group online, this article argues that Incels are moving beyond social commentary to become a political movement.
This article demonstrates that Incels have begun to craft a particularly violent political ideology drawing on a unique form of misogyny rooted in the construction of a counternarrative to hegemonic masculinity. Using critical narrative analysis, this article assesses the discourse and narratives used by the Incels to create their unique worldview and identifies core components of their emerging political ideology to understand how this group may justify the use of political violence as part of their political movement.
Shannon Zimmerman
Shannon Zimmerman is a Lecturer at Deakin University at the Australian War College. Prior to this she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research investigates the peace operations, specifically the protection of civilians in conflict environments characterised by asymmetric threats. She also studies misogyny motivated terrorism, looking at the online groups in the “Manosphere.” Shannon received her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2019 and her Masters in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University in 2012.
