Join us for an interesting conversation with Dr Hannah Leary and author Dr. Simon Copland, to celebrate the launch of his latest book, The Male Complaint, published by Polity Press and distributed in Australia by Wiley Press. (Pre-order here.)

About the book

Inspired by leaders such as Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson, the online manosphere has exploded in recent years. Dedicated to anti-feminism, these communities have orchestrated online campaigns of misogynistic harassment, with some individuals going as far as committing violent terrorist attacks.

Although the manosphere has become a focus point of the media, researchers, and governments alike, discussions tend to either oversensationalise the community or offer simplistic explanations for their existence. This book uses a mixture of historical and economic analysis, alongside actual manosphere content, to delve deeper. With The Male Complaint, Simon Copland explains how the manosphere has developed and why it appeals to so many men. He argues that the manosphere is not an aberration, but is deeply embedded within mainstream, neoliberal, social structures. For a cohort of alienated men, the promise of community provides a space of understanding, connection, and purpose.

This insightful book dares to dig into the corners of incel communities and online spaces where misogyny thrives. It is an essential reading for anyone who wants to understand and do something about this growing and worrying phenomenon.
 

Dr. Simon Copland is a researcher at the Australian National University. He focuses on violent extremism, misogynist groups online, and white supremacy. He completed his PhD on the online Manosphere in 2022. He is the co-author of Masculinity and Violent Extremism (2022) and published The Male Complaint: The Manosphere and Online Misogyny in 2025.

After the event, please join us for a self-funded social gathering at Badger & Co. (156-11 Joplin Lane, Kambri Precinct, ACT 0200)

This event is co-sponsored by the ANU School of Sociology and the ANU Gender Institute.