This chapter explores the multifaceted role of gender within extremist ideologies and examines manifestations of masculinity, femininity, and misogyny in various extremist contexts. It shows how different scholarly approaches explain the ways in which gendered narratives shape recruitment, radicalization, and participation in extremist activities. Different explanations of male violence emphasizing the sociocultural construction of masculinity within extremist milieus is discussed and the notion of the “manosphere” and its subcultures like incels is introduced thereby showing how online spaces foster misogynistic ideologies that can escalate into violence.
Fangen, Katrine & Inger Skjelsbæk (2025) The Role of Gender in Violent Extremism, in The Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Violent Extremism. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press (100–118). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009407892.008.
