New Books Network Cynthia Miller-Idriss, "Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism" (Princeton UP, 2025)
Feb 27, 2026
Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a sociologist studying extremism and gendered drivers of political violence, explains how rising misogyny fuels mass and far-right attacks. She traces links from domestic abuse to online radicalization. Conversations cover law enforcement blind spots, generational shifts in masculinity, digital harms, and prevention through education and community programs.
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Misogyny Is A Core Predictor Of Mass Violence
- Misogyny is a foundational predictor of mass and ideological violence.
- 60% of U.S. mass attackers since 1949 have documented histories of domestic or intimate partner violence, making gendered harm one of the strongest predictors.
Domestic Abuse Often Ignored In Extremism Cases
- Domestic violence histories are often treated as unrelated character notes in extremist cases.
- In the Charlottesville trials every defendant had domestic violence histories, yet courts and media rarely connect that abuse logic to white supremacist ideology.
Silos Block Prevention Between Domestic Harm And Terrorism
- Expertise and responses are siloed so gendered harm and political violence go unconnected.
- Domestic/intimate violence falls under local justice while targeted political violence lands in homeland security, preventing upstream prevention linkage.
