Abstract
Abstract
This chapter argues that gender has been neglected in radicalization studies, both by neglecting to see women, and by failing to engage gender by going beyond women; gender is a theoretical lens, a means of mediating structure and agency, exploring masculinities and femininities. Incorporating gender cannot simply be about “adding women.” The chapter therefore provides a holistic approach by arguing for reframing theories to recognize that gender is constitutive of radicalization practices in that it determines ideological perspectives, group hierarchies, and individual roles; it is not a variable in radicalization, gender is a fundamental in framing how extremist actors make sense of their world. Finally, the chapter discusses a path for a new approach. It recommends the incorporation of gender for all scholars interested in understanding the factors driving violent extremism in both women and men, arguing for the conceptual reformulation of radicalization, incorporating and informed by—not adding—a gender perspective.