Welcome to Volume 11, Issue 3 of the monthly VOX-Pol Newsletter.
NEW VOX-Pol REPORT
VOX-Pol is pleased to publish its newest report, Online Jihadist Propaganda Dissemination Strategies, by Stuart Macdonald and Sean McCafferty. The report is available in full and for free on the VOX-Pol Publications page.
The authors discussed the new report on a Tech Against Terrorism Podcast episode last week, titled ‘How has the Online Dissemination of Jihadist Propaganda Evolved?’ You can hear their discussion and read the transcript at this link.
RECENT PUBLICATION
VOX-Pol Member Lydia Khalil recently published the policy report, “Overcoming Digital Threats to Democracy: Using deliberative democracy to enhance trust and legitimacy in digital spaces” for the Lowy Institute.
VOX-Pol Member Joe Whittaker, along with Andrew Thomas and William Costello from the Swansea University Research on the Incel Community (SURIC) have written the report Predicting harm among incels (involuntary celibates): The Roles of Mental Health, Ideological Belief and Social Networking, published by the Commission for Countering Extremism.
The report is the largest survey of incels to-date, taken across the UK and the US. It explores their demographics, beliefs, networks and propensity to violence. Alongside this report, this article in The Telegraph (paywalled) includes an op-ed from Dr Whittaker. Dr Whittaker also gave an interview with the UK Commissioner for Countering Extremism, which can be watched on YouTube.
A new book from VOX-Pol Members Lee Jarvis, Stuart Macdonald and Andrew Whiting has been published by Manchester University Press, titled, Radicalisation, Counter-radicalisation, and Prevent: A Vernacular Approach. This book offers the first sustained investigation into non-elite understandings of radicalisation and counter-radicalisation policy.
CALLS CLOSING SOON
The Terrorism and Social Media Conference 2024 Call for Posters closes soon, on Thursday 28th March 2024. To display a poster, email TASMConf@swansea.ac.uk to express an interest. The team will need to receive an electronic copy of all posters by Friday 26th April, and will take care of printing and displaying for you. The conference will be hosted in Swansea University in June.
The Society for Terrorism Research 8th Annual Postgraduate Conference has announced its call for papers, the closing date is 12 April 2024. The conference will be hosted at Dublin City University in May.
RECENT EVENTS
Professor Stuart Macdonald was invited to speak at the AVERT Research Network webinar series on 22 February 2024. Stuart presented on ‘“Outlinks”: Violent Jihadist Online Propaganda Dissemination Strategies’.
Dr. Elizabeth Pearson was invited to speak at the Global Coalition against Daesh communications conference in London on 23 February 2024. Elizabeth presented “Why Gender Matters in Understanding Daesh” on the panel on gender sensitivity in countering terrorism.
NEW FROM THE VOX-Pol BLOG
Articles from the last four weeks on the VOX-Pol Blog:
- Exploring Far-Right Community Building through Netnography by Jonathan Collins, 6 March 2024.
- Seeing Eye to Eye: The Crucial Role of Legitimacy in Multistakeholder Initiatives by Lea Brost, 28 February 2024.
- The Dangers of Generative AI and Extremism by Sam Jackson and JM Berger, 21 February 2024.
- The Passive Extremism of Social Media in the Bronx Drill Scene by Matthew K. Carter, 14 February 2024.
Keep an eye out for translated Blog posts. JeSuisCharlie was one of the most viral hashtags in history – here’s why it wouldn’t happen today is now also available in French.
Data Collection in Online Terrorism and Extremism Research: Future Directions is available in French and more translations are on the way.
IN THE MEDIA
News and analysis by and featuring VOX-Pol Members:
- Swansea academic named Fellow in the academy of social sciences, News from Wales, 5 March 2024
- By not repatriating Shamima Begum, the UK is washing its hands of continuing Islamic State terror. The Conversation, 28 February 2024
- Incels 30 times more likely to be autistic, study finds. The Telegraph, 14 February 2024.