Life Solved Live - Getting Violence Wrong: From Extremists to Incels

When serious challenges to society remain unsolved, research can light the way to an answer. Join us for a unique event exploring why, to solve two huge threats to safety and security, we need to start asking a different set of questions.

Over the past decade, the response to armed extremist violence in West Africa has been extensive: foreign military interventions, multinational task forces, the deployment of Russian mercenaries and billions in security assistance. Despite this, violence committed by armed extremist groups continues to spread and intensify.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a deeply troubling problem, both online and offline. In recent years, public attention has increasingly focused on one group of men associated with this violence – ‘incels’ (involuntary celibates). Yet despite attention from policymakers and in popular culture, such as the Netflix series Adolescence, there is still limited understanding of who these men are, or how the identities associated with them take shape.

This Life Solved Live event is your chance to hear first-hand how researchers are wrestling with these challenges – and what drives them to do it.

An Inaugural Lecture is one of the most prestigious Life Solved Live events. It’s a celebration of the career of a professor and the difference they make.

On 6 May 2026 we present two thought-provoking lectures in one evening.

In Deadly Errors and Unlearned Lessons: What We Still Get Wrong About ‘Counter-terrorism’ in West Africa, Professor of International Security, Ed Stoddard, explores how – from the Sahel to the Lake Chad Basin – West African states and their foreign supporters have been unable to quell the expansion of extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the so-called ‘Islamic State’, to the point that they now increasingly threaten the coastal states of West Africa. He asks, what has gone wrong during more than a decade of ‘counter-terrorism’ in the region?

Professor Stoddard says:

‘I will identify five recurring errors: treating insurgency as terrorism; underestimating militant sophistication and insurgent adaptation; prioritising military force over civilian protection; a weak record of learning between conflicts; and a failure to meaningfully compete in governance.

‘My core claim is that an understanding of militant strategy allows us to reverse engineer a blueprint for how to tackle those errors. Lasting progress requires a population-centred strategy focused on civilian protection and safety; a more sophisticated military response tailored to local conditions; and rapid learning – from both mistakes and successes – across the region, so responses get stronger and better adapted to conflict dynamics over time.’

In What We Get Wrong About Online Misogyny, Incels, and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Professor of Cybercrime and Gender, Lisa Sugiura, considers how public and policy debates often frame such violence as extreme or exceptional, distancing it from more familiar, everyday forms of misogyny. But in doing so, they risk overlooking the broader cultural conditions, and digital environments, that allow gender-based hostility to spread and intensify.

Professor Sugiura says:

‘Seeking to understand these dynamics does not mean excusing harm or minimising its impact. Instead, it calls for a more careful and humane conversation. One that approaches difficult questions about gender, relationships, and life online with curiosity and care.

‘At the same time technology platforms must be held to account for the ways their design, moderation practices, and algorithms can amplify misogynistic ideas and reward harmful behaviour. This is not a case of “online versus real life”. Rather, online is real life.’

‘In this talk I draw on a decade of research in the field to explain the incel phenomena and how online misogyny and VAWG have evolved. I will also consider the impact of new and emerging technologies such as AI and Virtual Reality. Finally, I will discuss what can be done to tackle the problem and why a whole societal approach is necessary.’

Don’t miss this unique double bill of deeply insightful talks. To book your FREE tickets, select how many you want, then click the ‘Reserve a spot’ button.

Keen to hear more about world-changing research and the amazing people who do it? The Life Solved podcast has shared well over 100 stories to date. Listen now.

Info: Deadly Errors and Unlearned Lessons: What We Still Get Wrong About ‘Counter-terrorism’ in West Africa,

Info: What We Get Wrong About Online Misogyny, Incels, and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

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Host or Publisher University of Portsmouth