Seductions of Narrative Attacks
(2020) SOCM04 20221Department of Sociology
Sociology
- Abstract
- Since 2014 especially the western world has seen an increase in attacks committed by men who de-scribes themselves as incels; involuntary celibates. Scholars have previously examined how the online incels’ communities are characterized by anonymity, misogyny, racism and appraisal of violence and abuse but little attention have been given to how the narratives conveyed by incels online can be viewed as averting harm. This thesis examines the narratives circulating in an online incel forum, ex-ploring what characterizes these narratives, how these narratives can be seen as both motivating and averting harm and the role of masculinity. This thesis seeks to fill out this research gap by proposing a new way of understanding the seductive appeal... (More)
- Since 2014 especially the western world has seen an increase in attacks committed by men who de-scribes themselves as incels; involuntary celibates. Scholars have previously examined how the online incels’ communities are characterized by anonymity, misogyny, racism and appraisal of violence and abuse but little attention have been given to how the narratives conveyed by incels online can be viewed as averting harm. This thesis examines the narratives circulating in an online incel forum, ex-ploring what characterizes these narratives, how these narratives can be seen as both motivating and averting harm and the role of masculinity. This thesis seeks to fill out this research gap by proposing a new way of understanding the seductive appeal of engaging in online violence; what I will call narra-tive attacks. The thesis theoretical framework consists of Jack Katz’s theory of righteous slaughter, Lois Presser’s theory of how narrative drives mass harm, along with the concepts of hegemonic mas-culinity and aggrieved entitlement. By relying on the hermeneutical research traditions principles and analyzing a total of 1.840 incel posts, my analysis showed that incels in unison build an underdog identity and collectively goes through the three conditions Katz constitutes as necessary for an impas-sioned attack, making it plausible to speak of narrative attacks. Further, my analysis showed that incels favor a local type of hegemonic masculinity rooted in what they call Black Pill Philosophy which ultimately positions incels as mental superior over other men.
Keywords: Incels, inceldom, cultural criminology, narrative attacks, incel-ideology, hegemonic mas-culinity (Less) - Popular Abstract
- In this study, I have looked at incel narratives online to explore what characterizes the narratives, how these narratives both inspire and avert harm, and exploring the role of masculinity in these narratives.
What is habitually referred to as incel ideology has bred numerous mass shootings since 2014, leading scholars to, rightfully, explore the potential of the online incel communities to push men into physical violence. My analysis showed that incel narratives are characterized by interpreting society as funda-mentally being against them, expressing rage rooted in experiences of severe humiliation and lastly placing women as the reason for their woes through an intense practice of vilification of women. My analysis further showed... (More) - In this study, I have looked at incel narratives online to explore what characterizes the narratives, how these narratives both inspire and avert harm, and exploring the role of masculinity in these narratives.
What is habitually referred to as incel ideology has bred numerous mass shootings since 2014, leading scholars to, rightfully, explore the potential of the online incel communities to push men into physical violence. My analysis showed that incel narratives are characterized by interpreting society as funda-mentally being against them, expressing rage rooted in experiences of severe humiliation and lastly placing women as the reason for their woes through an intense practice of vilification of women. My analysis further showed that incels believe in a masculinity hierarchy where they are at the bottom in a global perspective, but within the community incels positions themselves as being mentally superior over other men, and as valorizing what they deem an ability to see women for what women truly are. I argue in this thesis, that while one cannot deny the psychical harm incels has cost, the narratives communicated by incels in the online forums, and the collective experience of creating an identity in unity can be seen as averting harm, as the online practices by incels provides them with a feeling of defending what they believe is righteous. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9087088
- author
- Tilsted Mumba, Maria Chabala LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOCM04 20221
- year
- 2020
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9087088
- date added to LUP
- 2022-07-11 09:38:39
- date last changed
- 2022-07-11 09:38:39
@misc{9087088,
abstract = {{Since 2014 especially the western world has seen an increase in attacks committed by men who de-scribes themselves as incels; involuntary celibates. Scholars have previously examined how the online incels’ communities are characterized by anonymity, misogyny, racism and appraisal of violence and abuse but little attention have been given to how the narratives conveyed by incels online can be viewed as averting harm. This thesis examines the narratives circulating in an online incel forum, ex-ploring what characterizes these narratives, how these narratives can be seen as both motivating and averting harm and the role of masculinity. This thesis seeks to fill out this research gap by proposing a new way of understanding the seductive appeal of engaging in online violence; what I will call narra-tive attacks. The thesis theoretical framework consists of Jack Katz’s theory of righteous slaughter, Lois Presser’s theory of how narrative drives mass harm, along with the concepts of hegemonic mas-culinity and aggrieved entitlement. By relying on the hermeneutical research traditions principles and analyzing a total of 1.840 incel posts, my analysis showed that incels in unison build an underdog identity and collectively goes through the three conditions Katz constitutes as necessary for an impas-sioned attack, making it plausible to speak of narrative attacks. Further, my analysis showed that incels favor a local type of hegemonic masculinity rooted in what they call Black Pill Philosophy which ultimately positions incels as mental superior over other men.
Keywords: Incels, inceldom, cultural criminology, narrative attacks, incel-ideology, hegemonic mas-culinity}},
author = {{Tilsted Mumba, Maria Chabala}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Seductions of Narrative Attacks}},
year = {{2020}},
}