Browsing by Author "Granit, Eva Antonia"

This thesis explores the culture of the discussion forum Incels.is and incels’ perceptions of women, feminism and men who are sexually successful with women. “Incel”, or “involuntary celibate” is in this case an identity linked to the internet-based incel movement, a subculture characterised by the fact that its members desperately want to engage in sexual and/or romantic relationships with women but are unable to. Incels’ use of language is often hateful, extremely misogynist, and violent. The incel movement, like the alt-right, is a growing phenomenon and therefore requires more research and attention. The empirical material of the thesis consists of posts that I, with the research method of netnography, have collected from Incels.is. The posts have then been analysed with critical discourse analysis. The theoretical framework for this thesis lies in an understanding of gender as socially and societally constructed; I mainly utilise the concept of hegemonic masculinity to shed light on how incels perceive their own and other men’s masculinities. The analysis shows that incels blame their sex- and lovelessness almost entirely on women. According to incels, the societal and cultural wins of feminism in the West has resulted in women not being obligated to have a male partner. This means women can be more selective when picking their partner which has resulted in men like incels not getting picked, and therefore remaining celibate and alone. Incels are of the opinion that they as men are expected to be hypermasculine, and because they don’t live up to the unrealistic expectations put on men they are derided and neglected by women, other men, and society as a whole. Incels both criticise and praise hegemonic masculinity, which makes their gender expressions a good example of hybrid masculinity. Incels are an example of how hybrid masculinities can reinforce the gender hierarchy rather than challenge it. This thesis is an addition to the growing research on incels and other male-dominated online subcultures. Its contribution to this body of research is the observation that incels through hybrid masculinity simultaneously obscure and reinforce their privileged position as men.