I'm a sociologist and researcher based in Melbourne/Naarm, with a PhD awarded at Monash University. My research has been published in prestigious academic journals and cited widely. I have also been interviewed by The Guardian, BBC, ABC (Australia), The Age/Sydney Morning Herald and other publications.

This website serves as my digital CV, with links to my academic articles and media engagements.

Please say hi at contact@joshuathorburn.com to get in touch.

Academic Publications

• “Forever Alone, Together!” Exploring narratives of gender-based hate within online forum discussions of singleness and dating strategies. PhD Thesis, Monash University (2025) Passed with no revisions required.
• Exiting the Manosphere. A Gendered Analysis of Radicalization, Diversion and Deradicalization Narratives from r/IncelExit and r/ExRedPill. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2023)
• The (de-) radical (-ising) potential of r/IncelExit European Journal of Cultural Studies (2023)
• A world alone: Masculinities, humiliation and aggrieved entitlement The British Journal of Criminology (2023) First author. Co-authored with Powell, A., & Chambers, P.
• Cultural Marxism: Far-right conspiracy theory in Australia’s culture wars Social Identities (2020) Co-authored with Busbridge, R. & Moffitt, B.
• Linguistic analysis of pro-isis users on twitter. SBehavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression (2020) Co-authored with Torregrosa, J., Lara-Cabrera, R., Camacho, D., & Trujillo, H. M.
• National Plan Stakeholder Consultation: Final Report Monash University (2022) Co-authored with Fitz-Gibbon, K., Meyer, S., Gelb, K., McGowan, J., Wild, S., Batty, R., Segrave, M., Maher, JMM., Pfitzner, N., McCulloch, J., Flynn, A., & Wheildon, L.

Media & Press

• 2025 — The Guardian (UK) Money, muscles and anxiety: why the manosphere clicked with young men
• 2025 — Cosmopolitan ‘I want to be the best man possible’: Meet the manosphere-curious men trying to deradicalise themselves
• 2025 — Spectrum News (US syndicated cable news) Report on Netflix's Adolescence
• 2025 — ABC Melbourne 774 The Conversation Hour with Kirsten Diprose
• 2024 — BBC Radio 4 How to Save an Incel
• 2024 — Forbes Why Men Enter And Exit The ‘Manosphere’
• 2024 — The Age Reinventing romance: Dating events are back as singles sour on the apps
• 2024 — DeVolkskrant (Netherlands) Sportschoolstress bij jonge mannen: stereotype van ‘mannelijkheid’ wordt steeds normaler
• 2024 — Irish Independent How do you talk to a loved one who’s fallen down an online ‘rabbit hole’?
• 2024 — Shanspeare (YouTube, US) I Infiltrated the Manosphere
• 2023 — Vice News Could These Subreddits Save Incels?
• 2023 — BBC Trending How to exit the manosphere
• 2023 — The New Daily Researcher finds online forums offer an exit from ‘the manosphere’ and its toxic misogyny
• 2023 — ABC Radio National (PM) De-radicalising from the 'manosphere'

Get in Touch

I am available for consulting, media commentary, and research collaboration.