Women, Antifeminism, and Platforms: The Discourses of Misogyny| Misogynistic Discourse, a Blind Spot in Definitions of Terrorism

Abstract

Misogyny—understood as the hatred of women—is found in the objectives, strategies, and narratives of several terrorist groups. Some particularly violent groups, such as InCels, make misogyny their raison d’etre. We examined 11 definitions of terrorism coined by international organizations, countries, and specialized agencies and six political manifestos that inspire terrorist groups to investigate misogynist discourse. Comparative text analysis shows that misogyny and women have not been included in any of the most established characterizations of terrorism from 1996 to 2022. However, it also indicates that misogyny and sexism are critical elements of narratives of different credos, including jihadism, far-right, male supremacism, and leftish-separatism, although to different degrees. Misogyny is missing in most working definitions of terrorism, and this blind spot may have consequences. Fighting against terrorism is typically prioritized in legislation, enforcement, policing, policymaking, and intelligence gathering in most countries; if a fundamental aspect of terrorism is missing, there is a considerable flaw.