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[[Incel]] is an academic sociological term that is short for '''involuntary celibacy''', a common adverse life circumstance. Inceldom was recognized in academia, as a sociological phenomenon, in the landmark [[Donnelly Study]], published in 2001. Many further peer-reviewed academic papers have since been written, portraying involuntary celibacy as a (mostly) adverse life circumstance rather than a specific internet subculture. Academic researchers who have examined involuntary celibacy (though not all use that exact term) include: [[Denise Donnelly]], [[Elizabeth Burgess]], [[Laura Carpenter]], [[Theodor F Cohen]], and [[Menelaos Apostalou]]. The initial study explicitly dealing with the topic of involuntary celibacy, the Donnelly Study, defined incels as all adults who fail to find a sexual partner for six months, despite their desire for one. However, among [[Incelosphere#2010s.| self-identified incels]], there is often fervent disagreement about the exact definition.

This wiki takes the stance, in agreement with the early academic research into the topic, that incel is not a movement or a community, but a gender-neutral life circumstance (though it can indeed be argued that it is more common among specific demographics than others). Incels (both self-identified and not) are[[Demographics of inceldom|highly diverse politically, racially, religiously, and socioeconomically]].

 

Online communities of self-described incels are also extremely diverse in terms of racial/ethnic make-up, political beliefs, and user's views on the ultimate causes of involuntary celibacy and the possible solutions to this circumstance. This user diversity in origin and ideology is precisely what one would expect for communities organized around a life circumstance, rather than any concrete ideology.

 

Philosophies like the [[blackpill]], political parties like [[Incel Party]] and the [[ALF]], or subcultures like 4chan/imageboard culture do not represent all incels. Involuntarily celibacy is also by no means uncommon, either [[Incel#Incels_in_history.|throughout history]] or in contemporary societies. For instance, among American millennials,  

Current prominent incel forums are: [[Incels.co]], [[love-shy.com]], [[Incelswithouthate]], and [[Foreveralone]]. No mass-shooters or other criminals identified by the media as 'incels,' or that self-described as such, have been members of any online community explicitly devoted to involuntary celibacy. Some of these individuals had used online communities such as [[4chan]] and [[PUAhate]], which were not/are not communities dedicated to involuntarily celibacy.