Call for Fellows

Though a primarily volunteer organization and community, thanks to a grant from CGRE, IRMS is excited to be able to offer a few special stipends of $1000 to support participation from trans and cis women of color, trans men of color, and nonbinary people of color in our fellowship and mentorship programs. We will be accepting fellow and mentee applications for this stipend until December 17, 2024.

IRMS is a nonprofit organization that supports researchers who are committed to exposing and challenging common narratives that uphold male supremacist ideology. Male supremacist ideology is the belief in cisgender men’s superiority and right to dominate, control, or erase “others”: women, trans men, and non-binary people. IRMS is committed to exposing and challenging common narratives that provide shelter to male supremacist movements, advancing new theoretical understandings and practical analyses of contemporary threats, and providing resources for media and activists to improve their ability to challenge male supremacism and misogyny. Our framework takes an intersectional feminist approach to researching male supremacism that expands on decades of work on white and Christian forms of supremacism and merges this with feminist scholarship on patriarchy and misogyny. IRMS research emphasizes the intersections of male supremacism with other axes of oppression, such as racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and heterosexism.

IRMS supports a community of researchers committed to exposing and challenging common narratives that uphold male supremacist ideology in all its intersections Our fellows’ and mentees’ work spans a range of topics, including misogynist incel ideology and mass violence; anti-trans activism; rape culture, Title IX, and men’s rights activists; and racist misogyny and violence toward Black women and Asian women. We emphasize structural change, shifting discourse toward investing in longer-term solutions such as comprehensive consent-based sexuality education and organizing at the local and state levels.

This opportunity is for those who are actively engaged in researching male supremacist groups; connections between male supremacism and white supremacism, antisemitism, and/or religious nationalism (for example, Christian or Hindu nationalist movements), and/or anti-trans and trans-misogynoir activism; and the attendant dangers male supremacism poses to historically marginalized and vulnerable populations. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about our mission and encourage applicants from historically and systemically marginalized backgrounds and communities to apply, especially women of color and trans women.

Click here for frequently asked questions.

We are seeking fellows from academic, journalistic, think tank, organizing, and other backgrounds who are actively engaged in research that, implicitly or explicitly, identifies and problematizes the consequences of male supremacism and situates male supremacism alongside other harmful ideologies (i.e., white supremacism, anti-trans ideology, antisemitism). We are interested in unique and intersectional applications of the framework of male supremacism, including research on police violence, attacks on sex workers, misogynoir and transmisogyny, and other topics. This is a virtual fellowship that accepts candidates from across the globe.

Why Join IRMS?

IRMS fellows join a virtual community committed to both advancing a common understanding of male supremacism as an area of theoretical and empirical relevance, and to connecting work on male supremacism with other forms of critical scholarship. Researchers support one another through sharing analyses and resources, finding grounds for collaborations, and having a community to talk with and exchange support. 

IRMS fellows make a commitment to support the emerging generation of male supremacism researchers by mentoring early-career mentees on institute-approved projects. Mentors provide substantive expertise in the area of male supremacism as mentees complete original work, reflecting our commitment to expanding strong research in this area. 

IRMS fellows receive support from the institute in access to digital security training and resources to deal with the threat of online harassment and doxing, including subsidized digital protection services if available in your country. Fellows also receive peer support in the form of working groups.

IRMS fellows receive promotion of their work on male supremacism through the institute’s email list, social media, and other connections with researchers, media, and organizers.

IRMS fellows have the opportunity to conduct further research and scholarship on male supremacism and connect this work  to organizing and impact through shaping and participating in events and other core initiatives and programming such as:

• major events such as the new Training Institute on Anti-Supremacist Organizing and the Conference on Supremacism and Authoritarianism;

• workshops to aid writing for either academic or public audiences;

• webinars that present on research or bring together experts for topical panels on current events in male supremacism;

• support for organizers such as direct advisory relationships with social justice organizations, challenging media narratives, and designing resources and materials;

• designing resources for media reporting on supremacism, writing op-eds, and providing interviews;

• community-building, networking, and social events through virtual happy hours and other initiatives;

• institute-sponsored publications (for example, the policy brief on misogynist incel violence co-published with New America or the 2022 Routledge volume on Male Supremacism in the United States);

• events or programming designed by you and other fellows and mentees with support from IRMS.

The supportive community of researchers lies at the core of the IRMS fellowship program, combined with our commitment to support fellows in developing and promoting their research and to offer opportunities that advance research and activism to challenge male supremacism. Fellows commit to being engaged and supportive members of the virtual community, participating in writing and working groups, mentoring an early-career researcher, leading a group session with mentees, collaborating to advance the field of male supremacism studies, and to connect research to action.

Current fellows have had their work featured in a number of mainstream and alternative venues, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Tech Against Terrorism Podcast, and Bitch Media, and presented at trainings and conferences led by organizations including the Southern Poverty Law Center, African American Policy Center, Western States Center, and Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies.

Watch IRMS Fellow and former board chair Dr. Emily Carian discuss the benefits of the program.

How to Apply

Applicants should fill out the application form at this link, answering the five short-answer questions (250 words or less each) and attaching a research sample and CV.

• The research sample should:

  • clearly reflect how your research incorporates male supremacism and intersectionality as frameworks; or 

  • be annotated to describe how male supremacism and intersectionality may be applied as frameworks and will be incorporated moving forward.

• In the C.V., we would particularly like to see included:

  • courses taken or taught that relate to male supremacism and/or intersectionality;

  • talks you have delivered, workshops you have participated in or led, etc., that reflect your interest in male supremacism and/or intersectionality; 

  • any public-facing work you have done (including press where you are quoted); and

  • any previous mentorship, teaching, or training experience, either formal or informal.

Applications for the stipend for trans and cis women of color, trans men of color, and nonbinary people of color should be received no later than December 17, 2024.

Applicants should submit their responses to the short-answer questions in English, but are welcome to submit their research sample and C.V. in English, Spanish, or German at this time.

Questions about the application process should be directed to: contact@theirms.org.

IRMS also has a mentorship program for researchers beginning projects on male supremacism and misogyny.