1/n Very short thread: Research on #Incel activity is well underway. A lot of work in the pipeline, and already high quality, data-driven published research out there if you care to look for it. Of course there's much more work on related topics of misogyny, male supremacy etc.

2/n It’s an area that seems impenetrable because of the ‘internal’ language used by many Incels. Fortunately there are several helpful guides to the lexicon. Two of these (and there are several) were released this week and I'd highly recommend you look at them. They are:

3/n

Involuntary Celibates: Background for Practitioners

https://preventviolence.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Incels_BackgroundforPractitioners_May2020_web.pdf

And this, by MoonshotCVE, ‘Incels: A Guide to Symbols and Terminology’:

http://moonshotcve.com/incels-symbols-and-terminology/

I highly recommend both, for students and practitioners alike

4/n The recent Canadian case raised a whole bunch of challenging issues that defy easy answers: Is Incel violence terrorism? Can/should a minor be considered a 'terrorist'? What does the expansion of the use of terrorism mean for Canada etc. etc. etc.

But...

5/n I'm especially interested in the disagreement around whether Incel ideas constitute an ideology. I think (!) much of said disagreement seems to hinge on the content of the message rather than an understanding of how ideology works (or, perhaps, what an ideology is)

6/n Some of this disagreement has ruffled feathers. I don’t know why disagreement has to be so contentious - perhaps the times we’re living in, and we’re all tired - I’m not here to pick a fight. I want to be convinced one way or another by evidence and consistency. So here goes

7/n An important question arises around who gets to decide what is or is not a terrorist act. That’s not quite what I’m interested in here. It’s whether Incel violence is ideological. The answer, I believe, will likely not come from a superficial comparison with jihadism

8/n Ideologies are 150 shades of grey, and while that seems obvious to me, perhaps I'm in a minority. Some ideologies are big, some small, some more ‘realistic’, others more fanciful. Some ideologies seem so completely off the wall as to suggest delusion. However…

9/n The answer to what constitutes an ideology shouldn’t be reduced to subjective judgements about the 'content' in question. I believe Incel ideas display several critical ideological quality, exerting powerful influence over others

10/n One of the frustrating/exciting qualities of studying "terrorism" is that we have no choice but to read very widely to be able to bring serious thought to issues of violent extremism. Ideology, in this context, is the most challenging topic I've grappled with (so far)

11/n And if there's one recommendation I'd make to students of violent extremism it's that it's worth taking the time to think through what you mean when you say "ideologically-driven" violence. Be open to revising your assumptions but strive for consistency in your judgements.

12/n I'll end this soon, but want to draw attention to something that @holbrook_dd and I recently wrote on the relationship between ideology and terrorism

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2019/issue-6/01-holbrook-and-horgan.pdf

We spent a good deal of time developing this

13/n Donald and I had specific goals with that piece, mainly contribute to what we felt is still (exceptions aside) a neglected duty in our field of research - to figure out how to understand when, where, how and why violence acquires an ideological quality.

14/14 So I guess what I'm trying to offer in all of this is a reminder to think through what you mean when you use the word 'ideology'.

Hm. I suppose I could have just said that at the start.

Um. Anyway, happy Friday.