Reimagining the Slaves’ Revolt: How Victimhood and Ressentiment Shape Incels’ Sense of Superiority

This paper investigates the development of a sense of superiority among Incels. It particularly explores if and how this sense of superiority emerges from feelings of self-victimhood, ressentiment, and dehumanization of women, potentially leading to justification of violence. This paper aims to fill a gap in the existing literature on Incels, which has never explored whether Incels’ ressentiment, victimhood, and violence can trigger a ‘slaves’ revolt’ as it happens in Nietzsche’s master-slave morality. Thus, the study investigates if a sense of superiority evolves within Incel communities and whether it is intertwined with women’s dehumanisation and may justify violence against them. Combining a qualitative discourse analysis of three Italian Telegram channels with six interviews, the research examines how Incels express and relate to these dynamics. The study also contributes to understanding the Italian Manosphere and its role in perpetuating misogyny and justifying gender-based violence.