Man Up: The new misogyny and the rise of violent extremism Cynthia Miller-Idriss
Event details
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.
The anti-government militiamen charged with plotting to kidnap and execute Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer used language saturated with misogyny. The men who killed scores at Virginia Tech, the Pulse nightclub and a Maryland newsroom all had prior reports of stalking, domestic violence or harassment of women. And in dozens of other incidents - from North America to Norway to New Zealand - an increasing number of misogynist incel (involuntary celibate) 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.
Join Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a leading expert on extremism and author of Man Up, as she addresses this crucial oversight head-on, 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. She will also offer essential strategies that all of us - including parents, teachers, and counsellors - can use to fight the rising tide of violence, beginning with recognising the misogyny that pervades our everyday lives.
This event will take place live on Zoom Webinar. You will receive a link to join a couple of days before the event and a reminder an hour before. During the event, you can ask questions via a Q&A function, but audience cameras and microphones will remain muted throughout.
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You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.
About the speaker
Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a sociologist and Professor in the School of Public Affairs and the School of Education at American University, US, where she is the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). An MSNBC columnist and a regular commentator in US and international media, Miller-Idriss is the author of Man Up: The new misogyny and the rise of violent extremism (Princeton, 2025), Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right (Princeton), The Extreme Gone Mainstream: Commercialization and Far Right Youth Culture in Germany (Princeton), and Blood and Culture: Youth, Right-Wing Extremism, and National Belonging in Contemporary Germany.
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