The New Misogyny & The Rise of Violent Extremism

Please join us in-person in the RSSS Building at ANU or online for a guest seminar from Professor Cynthia Miller-Idriss. All tickets are free, but in-person tickets are limited.

The New Misogyny & The Rise of Violent Extremism

What two things do most mass shooters, terrorists, or violent extremists have in common? Most of us know the first: they are almost always men or boys. But the second? They are almost always virulent misogynists, homophobes, or transphobes—even if they are also motivated by racism, antisemitism, or xenophobia. In dozens of incidents from North America to Norway to New Zealand, an increasing number of misogynist incel and male supremacist attackers have explicitly targeted and killed women, blaming feminism or sexual frustration with women as motivation for their attacks.

Yet, despite all evidence, the bright red thread of misogyny running through these attacks is barely acknowledged by the media or even experts—and this failing leaves us powerless to stop the violence. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a leading expert on extremism, will discuss this crucial oversight, revealing how an epidemic of misogyny—both online and off—and a patriarchal backlash are driving an exponential rise in mass and far-right violence. Miller-Idriss will also offer essential strategies that all of us can use to fight the rising tide of violence, beginning with recognizing the misogyny that pervades our everyday lives.

Bio

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a sociologist and professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education, and is the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL).

Dr. Miller-Idriss regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress or briefs policy, security, education and intelligence agencies in the U.S., the United Nations, and other countries on trends in domestic violent extremism and strategies for prevention and disengagement. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of seven books, most recently including Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism (Princeton University Press, 2025), Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right (Princeton University Press, 2022) and The Extreme Gone Mainstream: Commercialization and Far Right Youth Culture in Germany (Princeton University Press, 2018). She has also published over one hundred peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and essays on nationalism, extremism, education, higher education and internationalization.

In addition to her academic work, Miller-Idriss writes frequently for mainstream audiences. She is an opinion columnist at MSNBC, and has additional recent by-lines in Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, CNN, The Hill, Politico, The Guardian, Le Monde, Salon, and more. She appears regularly in the media as an expert source and political commentator, including regular appearances on Fareed Zakaria GPS as well as other CNN news programs, PBS News Hour, NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, MSNBC's Meet the Press Daily with Chuck Todd and Hardball with Chris Matthews, NBC's Evening News with Lester Holt and The Today Show, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, ABC's Good Morning America, and in global news outlets in over a dozen countries, including BBC News, Deutsche Welle, France 24, al Jazeera and more.

Zoom Link: https://anu.zoom.us/j/83971757196?pwd=u6R9h1FmZRWVA8aF1xbF7zLO3w26Ie.1

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