In my thesis "Analysis of the Online Incel Community through the Lense of Feminist Theory", I examine the ideology that arises on websites where members of the so-called "inceldom" incels, gather. These are mostly men who are involuntarily celibate and, despite their efforts, are unable to find partners for romantic or sexual relationships. Consequently, they believe that the world is unfairly biased against them. The online movement is known to the public primarily for individual terrorist attacks, the perpetrators of which declared themselves members of the incel community in posts prior to the attacks. In the past, this phenomenon was concentrated in the United States of America, but in recent years, similar attacks have also been attributed to incels in Europe (for example, in 2020 in Hanau, Germany, and in 2021 in Plymouth, England). Through an analysis of terminology websites, created by incels, as well as through news articles, professional literature on incels, and feminist literature on theories of masculinity and the history of the feminist movement, I seek to better understand the incel movement in relation to concepts of traditional, patriarchal masculinity, violence towards women, feminism, and the labor struggle. I conclude that incel ideology is distinctly misogynistic, that it promotes violence against women, and that incel communities radicalize their members toward more sexist beliefs about the world. Members of incel communities are men who do not meet the criteria of hegemonic masculinity, and their desire for the repatriarchalization of society and domination over women can be understood through the prerspective of their economic insecurity and feelings of inferiority.
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