Esli Chan and Ruxandra Gheorghe
-
English
-
Français
-
ASL
The Incel Movement in Canada: Context and Practices of Intervention
This Webinar was presented and recorded on April 23, 2024.
Largely operating online, incels identify as involuntarily celibate individuals–often men–who are frustrated by their inability to engage with a romantic or sexual partner. Their worldview is grounded in a shared and often violent hatred of women, feminism, and mainstream dating norms. This Webinar focuses on the ideological evolution of the incel communities in Canada. By providing an overview of the tenets of incel beliefs in the context of persisting reports of incel-motivated harm, this Webinar situates incels within broader intersections of gender-based violence and ideological extremism. This evaluation puts forth considerations applicable to researchers and public policy practitioners working in gender empowerment, online communications standards, and public safety. After explaining the incel phenomenon in Canada, this Webinar explores avenues of future action, with a key focus on existing strategies of deradicalization, rehabilitation, and disengagement from extremist misogynistic ideologies. We consider the theoretical and practical elements of balancing both sympathy and accountability through clinical support. Seeing as over half of incels seek counselling and social support services, this Webinar is grounded in concrete practice experience and puts forth several implications for practitioners and clinicians who may encounter incels in their practice.
Webinar Recording
Learning Objectives
By participating in this Webinar, participants will better be able to:
-
Conceptualise the evolution and tenets of the incel movement in the online space, grounded in the context of gender-based violence and connections with violent and ideological extremism in Canada.
-
Evaluate the tensions of empathy, rehabilitation, accountability, and support involved in the engagement with incel individuals.
-
Understand current strategies of disengagement and deradicalization from the incel community and incel rhetoric.
- Consider the clinical practice approaches to supporting this population, particularly for women-identifying practitioners who may encounter incel clients.
Speakers
Esli Chan (she/her) is a PhD Political Science student at McGill University. Her research focuses on emerging online extremist groups, disinformation, and the recruitment of women into far-right movements. Her publications in Violence Against Women and Harvard Women’s Policy Journal explore the connections between gendered violence, extremism, and international cybersecurity standards. Her ongoing work has been featured at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and is informed by her experience working in the international security sector. She is affiliated with the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy and the Center for International Peace and Security Studies. Her work is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Ruxandra M. Gheorghe, MA, MSW, RSW (she/they) is a Registered Social Worker and a Doctoral Candidate at Carleton University’s School of Social Work. As a social worker, she provides mental health counselling to the general population. More recently, she has also been providing mental health support to crime-involved ideologically radicalized individuals. She is a member of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (CPN-PREV). As a PhD Candidate, Ruxi’s research focuses on the incel community, including exit strategies within this community. Her current SSHRC-funded doctoral research is concerned with articulations of toxic masculinity in direct therapeutic practice, particularly how women-identifying clinicians navigate gender-based countertransference when supporting incel clients.
Le mouvement Incel au Canada : Contexte et pratiques d'intervention
Ce Webinaire a été présenté et enregistré le 23 avril 2024.
Largement présents en ligne, les Incels se définissent comme des individus involontairement célibataires - souvent des hommes - qui sont frustrés par leur incapacité à s'engager avec un partenaire romantique ou sexuel. Leur vision du monde est fondée sur une haine commune et souvent violente des femmes, du féminisme et des normes traditionnelles en matière de relations amoureuses. Ce webinaire se concentre sur l'évolution idéologique des communautés incel au Canada. En fournissant une vue d'ensemble des principes des croyances incel dans le contexte des rapports persistants de dommages motivés par les incel, ce webinaire situe les incel dans les intersections plus larges de la violence basée sur le genre et de l'extrémisme idéologique. Cette analyse met en avant des considérations applicables aux chercheurs et aux praticiens des politiques publiques qui travaillent sur l'autonomisation des femmes, les normes de communication en ligne et la sécurité publique. Après avoir expliqué le phénomène incel au Canada, ce webinaire explore des pistes d'action pour l'avenir, en mettant l'accent sur les stratégies existantes de déradicalisation, de réhabilitation et de désengagement des idéologies extrémistes misogynes. Nous examinons les éléments théoriques et pratiques permettant d'équilibrer la sympathie et la responsabilité par le biais d'un soutien clinique. Étant donné que plus de la moitié des incels recherchent des services de conseil et de soutien social, ce webinaire s'appuie sur une expérience pratique concrète et met en avant plusieurs implications pour les praticiens et les cliniciens susceptibles de rencontrer des incels dans leur pratique.
Enregistrement du Webinaire
Objectifs d'apprentissage
Après avoir participé à ce webinaire, les participant.e.s seront mieux en mesure de :
- Conceptualiser l'évolution et les principes du mouvement incel dans l'espace en ligne, dans le contexte de la violence basée sur le genre et des liens avec l'extrémisme violent et idéologique au Canada
- Évaluer les tensions liées à l'empathie, à la réhabilitation, à la responsabilité et au soutien dans le cadre de l'engagement avec les personnes incel
- Comprendre les stratégies actuelles de désengagement et de déradicalisation de la communauté incel et de la rhétorique incel
- Considérer les approches de la pratique clinique pour soutenir cette population, en particulier pour les praticiens qui s'identifient aux femmes et qui peuvent rencontrer des clients incel
Conférencières
Esli Chan (elle/il) est doctorante en sciences politiques à l'Université McGill. Ses recherches portent sur les nouveaux groupes extrémistes en ligne, la désinformation et le recrutement des femmes dans les mouvements d'extrême droite. Ses publications dans Violence Against Women et Harvard Women's Policy Journal explorent les liens entre la violence sexospécifique, l'extrémisme et les normes internationales en matière de cybersécurité. Ses travaux en cours ont été présentés à la Commission de la condition de la femme des Nations unies et s'appuient sur son expérience dans le secteur de la sécurité internationale. Elle est affiliée au Centre pour les médias, la technologie et la démocratie et au Centre d'études sur la paix et la sécurité internationales. Son travail est soutenu par le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines (CRSH).
Ruxandra M. Gheorghe, MA, MSW, RSW (elle/ils) est travailleuse sociale et candidate au doctorat à l'école de travail social de l'université Carleton. En tant que travailleuse sociale, elle fournit des conseils en matière de santé mentale à la population générale. Plus récemment, elle a également apporté un soutien en matière de santé mentale à des personnes radicalisées sur le plan idéologique et impliquées dans des affaires criminelles. Elle est membre du Réseau canadien des praticiens pour la prévention de la radicalisation et de la violence extrémiste (CPN-PREV). En tant que candidate au doctorat, la recherche de Ruxi se concentre sur la communauté incel, y compris les stratégies de sortie au sein de cette communauté. Sa recherche doctorale actuelle, financée par le CRSH, porte sur les articulations de la masculinité toxique dans la pratique thérapeutique directe, en particulier sur la façon dont les cliniciens s'identifiant à des femmes naviguent dans le contre-transfert fondé sur le genre lorsqu'ils soutiennent des clients incel.
The Incel Movement in Canada: Context and Practices of Intervention
ASL Channel Recording
This Webinar was presented and recorded on April 23, 2024.
Largely operating online, incels identify as involuntarily celibate individuals–often men–who are frustrated by their inability to engage with a romantic or sexual partner. Their worldview is grounded in a shared and often violent hatred of women, feminism, and mainstream dating norms. This Webinar focuses on the ideological evolution of the incel communities in Canada. By providing an overview of the tenets of incel beliefs in the context of persisting reports of incel-motivated harm, this Webinar situates incels within broader intersections of gender-based violence and ideological extremism. This evaluation puts forth considerations applicable to researchers and public policy practitioners working in gender empowerment, online communications standards, and public safety. After explaining the incel phenomenon in Canada, this Webinar explores avenues of future action, with a key focus on existing strategies of deradicalization, rehabilitation, and disengagement from extremist misogynistic ideologies. We consider the theoretical and practical elements of balancing both sympathy and accountability through clinical support. Seeing as over half of incels seek counselling and social support services, this Webinar is grounded in concrete practice experience and puts forth several implications for practitioners and clinicians who may encounter incels in their practice.
Learning Objectives
By participating in this Webinar, participants will better be able to:
-
Conceptualise the evolution and tenets of the incel movement in the online space, grounded in the context of gender-based violence and connections with violent and ideological extremism in Canada.
-
Evaluate the tensions of empathy, rehabilitation, accountability, and support involved in the engagement with incel individuals.
-
Understand current strategies of disengagement and deradicalization from the incel community and incel rhetoric.
- Consider the clinical practice approaches to supporting this population, particularly for women-identifying practitioners who may encounter incel clients.
Speakers
Esli Chan (she/her) is a PhD Political Science student at McGill University. Her research focuses on emerging online extremist groups, disinformation, and the recruitment of women into far-right movements. Her publications in Violence Against Women and Harvard Women’s Policy Journal explore the connections between gendered violence, extremism, and international cybersecurity standards. Her ongoing work has been featured at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and is informed by her experience working in the international security sector. She is affiliated with the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy and the Center for International Peace and Security Studies. Her work is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Ruxandra M. Gheorghe, MA, MSW, RSW (she/they) is a Registered Social Worker and a Doctoral Candidate at Carleton University’s School of Social Work. As a social worker, she provides mental health counselling to the general population. More recently, she has also been providing mental health support to crime-involved ideologically radicalized individuals. She is a member of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (CPN-PREV). As a PhD Candidate, Ruxi’s research focuses on the incel community, including exit strategies within this community. Her current SSHRC-funded doctoral research is concerned with articulations of toxic masculinity in direct therapeutic practice, particularly how women-identifying clinicians navigate gender-based countertransference when supporting incel clients.
All our resources are open-access and can be shared (e.g., linked, downloaded and sent) or cited with credit. If you would like to adapt and/or edit, translate, or embed/upload our content on your website/training materials (e.g., Webinar video), please email us at gbvln@uwo.ca so that we can work together to do so.