Alexandra Phelan

We are excited to share our new ANROWS guide for teachers and school staff. It explains the manosphere, its harms, and how boys and young men are drawn in via social media—helping schools better understand and respond 👇

www.anrows.org.au/resources/gu...

Thank you Jacqueline!

Some personal news, we “eloped” in the Caribbean ❤️

Congratulations Yannick this is so amazing!!

🚨 Call for Special Issue Papers for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely! @ginavale.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on insurgent-run education.
Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details are below👇🏼

🚨 Call for Papers! @alexphelan.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on "Learning from Insurgent-Run Education" for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely. Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details below 👇

We welcome submissions from scholars, policymakers, and practitioners—especially those from the Global South and under-represented or minority groups. Both empirical and theoretical contributions drawing on political science, IR, and related disciplines are encouraged 🎉🚨

This special issue invites researchers to analyse the varied forms of insurgent-led education and to consider what these practices reveal about conflict dynamics, relations between civilians and militants, and processes of long-term recovery.

Across a wide range of conflict-affected settings, insurgencies have developed complex educational systems that influence local governance, identity, & post-war pathways. These systems shed light on how armed actors construct legitimacy and anchor themselves within communities.

🚨 Call for Special Issue Papers for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely! @ginavale.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on insurgent-run education.
Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details are below👇🏼

Rhetoric or Reality? An Analysis of the PYD as a Gendered Insurgent Organization from 2011 to 2018 Using the framework of “gendered organizations,” this article argues that the PYD strategically constructed its gender relations in its propaganda campaign and governance strategy through four diff...

Full article: Rhetoric or Reality? An Analysis of the PYD as a Gendered Insurgent Organization from 2011 to 2018
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
@alexphelan.bsky.social
Christina Schmid
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🚨It’s out! Our new article (co-authored with soon-to-be Dr. Christina Schmid) examines how shifts in gender relations advanced the PYD’s broader politico-military strategy during three phases of insurgent control (2011–2018). It’s open access below!👇🏼

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🚨It’s out! Our new article (co-authored with soon-to-be Dr. Christina Schmid) examines how shifts in gender relations advanced the PYD’s broader politico-military strategy during three phases of insurgent control (2011–2018). It’s open access below!👇🏼

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Guns, Goods and Governance: Illicit Economies and the Foundations of Insurgent Rule Research across different geographies has increasingly reshaped how the relationship between militancy, criminality and legitimacy is understood, with important implications for conflict prevention an...

🚨 Our new RUSI commentary, Guns, Goods, and Governance: Illicit Economies and the Foundations of Insurgent Rule, unpacks the complex and under-appreciated relationship between militancy, criminality and legitimacy 👇

www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

📣 We’re on the search for our next Head of School and Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University! This is a fantastic chance to lead a vibrant school, work alongside brilliant colleagues, and become part of one of the world’s top unis. 👇

careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

Thrilled to share our latest article in the TPV special issue on motivations! We explore how gendered narratives and misogyny act as a powerful shared language—connecting identity factors across far-right movements in Australia and the UK 👇🏼

doi.org/10.1080/0954...

At least 18 killed in Colombia in drone attack on helicopter, car bombing Colombian President Gustavo Petro says armed dissidents, drug trafficking cartels should be considered ‘terrorists’.

At least 18 killed in Colombia in two separate attacks— a drone attack on a helicopter and a car bombing—both attributed to FARC dissidents.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...

I was recently interviewed by @profil.at for this great feature on the PKK’s disarmament, and comparisons with the peace settlement with FARC 👇🏼

Book review Published in Small Wars & Insurgencies (Ahead of Print, 2025)

A sincere thank you to Dr. Lawrence Cline for their review of my book, The Combination of All Forms of Struggle: Insurgent Legitimation and State Response to FARC, in Small Wars and Insurgencies. It's wonderful to see parallels drawn to the FMLN 👇

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Thank you so much RUSI for hosting our event, Peace or Profit? Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict in Colombia and Beyond. It was a fantastic event with such great insight from our audience, which Jose, Jenny, Michael, Antonio and I are very grateful for.

Interview - Alexandra Phelan Alexandra Phelan explores insurgent legitimation, gender, and political violence, with a focus on Latin America, terrorism, and post-conflict transitions.

I was interviewed by E-IR about my work on insurgent legitimation, political violence in Colombia and the nexus between gendered-radicalisation and technology 👇

www.e-ir.info/2025/06/17/i...

Chaired by the brilliant José Gutierrez, we will explore the challenges of achieving sustainable peace with armed groups embedded in illicit economies, using Colombia as a case study to inform approaches to resolving other conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.

Peace or Profit? Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict in Colombia and Beyond Can peace compete with profit? Join us to explore how illicit economies can derail peace processes, using Colombia’s experience to inform other conflict contexts.

🚨 In London on the 25 June? I am extremely excited to announce our research collaboration event, Peace or Profit? Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict in Colombia and Beyond, with @rusi.bsky.social's Organised Crime and Policing team 👇

my.rusi.org/events/peace...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New article out in New Media & Society: Dror Walter @drorwalter.bsky.social, Yotam Ophir @ophiryotam.bsky.social , Edu Fabregas, and I examine how the Wayfair conspiracy theory moved across platforms. We find Twitter and Reddit played very different roles.

journals.sagepub.com/eprint/KUIFU...

Now that all promotion outcomes have been communicated, I’m delighted to share that I’ve been promoted to Senior Lecturer in Politics and IR at Monash Uni, effective 1 July. I'm excited and incredibly grateful for a workplace and colleagues who support not only my research, but me as a person🙏🏼

The Sociology of Violent Extremism: Theoretical and Sociological Approaches This book is an essential collection addressing key challenges in studying violent extremism. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, terrorism

🚨NEW🚨

@surajlakhani.bsky.social and my new edited collection is out! Hard copy available in a few months. academic.oup.com/book/60071

🚨Discount code below👇🏼 and thank you @craigwhiteside.bsky.social for your review!🚨

Violent Non-State Special Operations: a book talk April 24, 2025 recording of a book talk with GWU Program on Extremism

Link to my book talk with my friend Omar Mohammed from GWU's Program on Extremism theisisreader.substack.com/p/violent-no...

A friendly reminder that applications close on 19th April for the candidate to start in mid July! We are a fantastic section and you'll love working with us 😊

🚨Come work with us! Our Politics and IR department at Monash Uni is hiring a Level B for a 3 year fixed-term position. Applicants with expertise in politics and/or international relations are encouraged 👇🚨

careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...