For too long, gender in security policy was treated as an optional analytical add-on or reduced to simple binaries. Women were frequently viewed through the narrow lens of “passive victims” or secondary supporters, while male radicalisation was analysed without examining how rigid constructions of masculinity drive violent behaviour. As the contributions in this edition compellingly demonstrate, moving beyond these blind spots is an operational necessity.
While overcoming gender binarism and recognising gender diversity through an intersectional framework remain critical for accurate threat assessment and sustainable reintegration, this edition intentionally focuses on gender primarily as a socio-cultural construct of “men” and “women”. The magazine adopts this specific analytical lens to reflect how rigid, patriarchal gender binaries serve as foundational ideological fault lines for extremist movements. These structural dynamics, often manifesting as violent performances of masculinity or biologistic antigender ideologies, act as a primary gateway and driver for radicalisation, forming the baseline from which violence and discrimination against all other gender identities and expressions emerge.
