Joe Whittaker - The incel subculture: An emerging threat?

05/07/24 • 57 min

Episode #011 – Joe Whittaker – The incel subculture: An emerging threat?

Joe Whittaker is a senior lecturer in Criminology, Sociology, and Social Policy at Swansea University and is affiliated with the Cyber Threats Research Centre in Swansea. Joe’s doctoral research was a behavioural study of Islamic State actors in America 2012-2018, conducted jointly with Swansea University and Leiden University. Joe also researches the incel subculture, online counter-narratives, and how online recommendation systems interact with extremist content.

In this episode, we explore Joe’s recent research into the incel subculture for the Commission for Countering Extremism. Short for involuntary celibate, incels can broadly be defined as a group of people who are unable to find sexual partners, despite wanting them, and a small subsection of which believe violence to be justified.

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If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please subscribe on your streaming app of choice, and share so we can help build a better understanding of the terrorism threat to the UK.

Disclaimer: The views or statements expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Pool Re employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of Pool Re.

Episode #011 – Joe Whittaker – The incel subculture: An emerging threat?

For regular insightful terrorism threat and risk information, as well as other Pool Re updates, please sign up to receive our emails at https://www.poolre.co.uk/signup/.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please subscribe on your streaming app of choice, and share so we can help build a better understanding of the terrorism threat to the UK.

Previous Episode

Don Randall MBE – Lessons learnt from a lifetime in counter terrorism

Episode #010 – Don Randall MBE – Lessons learnt from a lifetime in counter terrorism.
Don Randall served with the City of London Police from 1969-1995, with specific emphasis on fraud and counter terrorism. Following 13 years at JPMorgan Chase as Managing Director, he joined the Bank of England in 2008 and was appointed the Bank’s first Chief Information Security Officer in 2013.
In 2007, Don was awarded an MBE for services to law enforcement for the harmonisation of the public/private sectors. Don plays a key role within ‘Sister Banks’, City of London Crime Prevention Association, ‘Project Griffin’, the City of London Crime Disorder Reduction Panel, London First Security Advisory Board, London Resilience Board, the London Resilience Business Sector Panel and is a Co-founder and Vice Chairman of the Cross Sector Safety & Security Communications initiative.
For regular insightful terrorism threat and risk information, as well as other Pool Re updates, please sign up to receive our emails at https://www.poolre.co.uk/signup/.
If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please subscribe on your streaming app of choice, and share so we can help build a better understanding of the terrorism threat to the UK.

Next Episode

Andrew Donaldson - The Shard and mitigating terrorism threat in the UK

Episode #012 – Andrew Donaldson - The Shard and mitigating terrorism threat in the UK
Andrew Donaldson is Head of Security for Real Estate Management (UK) Ltd, responsible for security policy, strategy, and crisis management at some of London’s most iconic buildings, including The Shard. Andrew is a Chartered Security Professional, Fellow of the Security Institute, and Co-Chair of their Counter Terrorism and Insider Risk Special Interest Groups. He holds a Master’s degree in International Security and Risk Management, having completed his dissertation concerning the emergence and evolution of al Qa’ida and its impact on protective security. Andrew sits on several project boards and working groups advising on, and supporting, government security matters.

In this episode, we’ll explore Andy’s distinguished career in international counter terrorism with Counter Terrorism Policing and the Ministry of Defence, his top tips for mitigating terrorism threat, as well as his role within the Security Institute as a Chartered Security Professional.

For regular insightful terrorism threat and risk information, as well as other Pool Re updates, please sign up to receive our emails at https://www.poolre.co.uk/signup/.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please subscribe on your streaming app of choice, and share so we can help build a better understanding of the terrorism threat to the UK.

Totally Terrorism - Joe Whittaker - The incel subculture: An emerging threat?

Transcript

Threat Analyst: Oliver Hair

Hello and welcome to Totally Terrorism, a Pool Re podcast. My name is Oliver Hair, a Threat Analyst at Pool Re. In this episode, we're joined by Joe Whittaker, a senior lecturer in Crimonology, Sociology, and Social Policy at Swansea University. Today, we’ll explore Joe’s recent and unprecedented study into the incel subculture for the Commission for Countering Extremism. Short for involuntary celibate, incels can broadly be defined as a group of