Five Things We Need to Learn About Incel Extremism
Issues, Challenges and Avenues for Fresh Research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7474490 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gavin Hart (0000-0002-2535-4441, Liverpool Hope University, corresponding author), Antoinette Raffaela Huber (0000-0001-7282-8198, Liverpool Hope University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 98-114 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in Conflict and Terrorism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1057-610X • E-ISSN: 1521-0731 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1057610x.2023.2195067 |
| OpenAlex | W4362509161 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
In recent years research on the involuntarily celibate or “Incel” community has contributed a small but significant stock of knowledge about toxic varieties of extreme misogyny being shared on lightly regulated online communication boards. Simultaneously, we have witnessed the potential for Incel ideas to find expression in disturbing outbursts of extremist violence. This paper uses existing research to consider what we know and what we need to find out about this milieu if we are to further our knowledge and understanding. Ultimately, we highlight five key questions that need to be investigated more thoroughly and call for a wider range of methodological approaches in this endeavor. In particular, we argue that there is a need to build stronger connections with members of the Incel community in order to pursue a better-crafted body of research. While this is challenging, it is necessary if we are to gain a sense of how much support there is in Incel communities for violence, the role of pornography within the community, the key dimensions of Femcel ideology, the connections between Incel ideology and extreme right-wing thinking, and the measures that might aid deradicalization once an individual has adopted ideas related to extremist misogyny. Ultimately, we argue that while certain pieces of research are leading the way in contributing fresh thinking and innovative methodological approaches, there is much work to be done to develop our understanding in these areas of enquiry
Computer security · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Ideology · Key (lock · Political science · Politics · Pornography · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · Engineering · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
“I’d Avoid This Site If I Were Black”
“Even though I’m not an incel, I’m still an involuntary celibate”
Incel Beliefs and Support for Political Violence Among U.S. Males
Adolescence and gender-based violence
Paths not taken
How Incel research looks to a former Incel
I’m Better Than This”
The Dual Pathways Hypothesis of Incel Harm
On Not Having it All
Slippages in the Application of Hegemonic Masculinity
I didn't Leave Inceldom; Inceldom Left me
| Citations per year | 5.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |