Stephane Baele

Prof. Stephane Baele is conducting research on political violence, extremism, conflict, and international relations; specifically, his work focuses on linguistic and communicational dynamics triggering and sustaining violence and conflict. He has published extensively on these issues, across the social sciences and using an array of different methods.

Awards and externally-funded projects:

• 2020-2023: Project Leader and Principal Investigator for NORFACE grant (€1,086,570) for research on Extreme Identities: A Linguistic and Visual Analysis of European Far-Right Online Communities’ Politics of Identity (ExId). Co-investigators: Drs Travis Coan (U. Exeter), Nicole Doerr (U. Copenhagen), and C. Boussalis (Trinity College Dublin).

• 2021-2022: co-I for CREST Award (£96,000) for research on Incel online communities (£120,000). Principal Investigator: Dr Lewys Brace (U. Exeter). Co-I: Dr Debbie Ging (Dublin City University).

• 2020: Principal Investigator for CREST Award (£69,000) for research on Mining the Chans: Exposing the Visual and Linguistic Dynamics of Radicalization in Far-right Image-boards (MineChans). Co-investigators: Drs. T. Coan and L. Brace.

• 2017: Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (ref. PR121473).

• 2016-2017: Principal Investigator for CREST Award (£119,000) for research on How does ISIS’ online propaganda demonstrate mechanisms of radicalization? Assessing cognitive mechanisms of radicalisation with a quantitative analysis of ISIS’ online propaganda. Co-investigators: Drs. T. Coan and K. Boyd.

• 2011: Bourse de Voyage de la Communaute Francaise de Belgique (€3,500).

• 2006: Marie Curie individual Fellowship (€35,000).

Leadership/membership in Scientific Associations and Networks:

• Series Editor (with G. Bettiza, Exeter, and B. Loke, ANU), Routledge book series Identity, Worldviews, and Ideology in Global Politics.

• Editorial Board member, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (ranked 1^st in Military/security studies by Google Scholar).

• Leadership Team member, VoxPol Network of Excellence (EU FP7) on online extremism (www.voxpol.eu).

• Membership: International Studies Association (ISA), International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP).

Peer-reviewed publications:

• Baele S., Brace L., Ging D. (2023): Where do “Mixed, Unclear, and Unstable” Ideologies Come From? A Data-Driven Answer Centred on the Incelosphere. Journal of Policing, Intelligence, & Counter-Terrorism, online before print.

• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan C., Naserian E. (2023): Lethal Words: An Integrated Model of Violent Extremist Language. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, online before print.

• Baele S., Brace L., Ging D. (2023): A Diachronic Cross-Platforms Analysis of Violent Extremist Language in the Incel Online Ecosystem. Terrorism & Political Violence, online before print.

• Baele S., Rousseau E. (2022) At War or Saving Lives? On the Securitizing Semantic Repertoires of Covid-19. International Relations, online before print.

• Baele S., Brace L., Coan C., Naserian E. (2022) Super- (and Hyper-) Posters on Extremist Forums. Journal of Policing, Intelligence, & Counter-Terrorism 18(3).

• Baele S., Jalea D. (2022) 25 Years of Securitization Theory: A Corpus-Based Review. Political Studies Review 21(2).

• Baele S., Thomson C. (2022) Securitization Theory. In Collins A. (ed.) Contemporary Security Studies, 6^th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Baele S., Balzacq T. (2021) International Rituals: An Analytical Framework and its Theoretical Repertoires. Review of International Studies 48(1).

• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2021) Variations on a Theme? Comparing 4chan, 8kun, and other Chans’ Far-right “/pol” Boards. Perspectives on Terrorism 15(1).

• Baele S., Bettiza G. (2020) “Turning” Everywhere in IR: On the Sociological Underpinnings of the Field’s Proliferating Turns. International Theory 13(2).

• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2020) The “Tarrant Effect”: What Impact Did Far-right Attacks Have on the 8chan Forum? Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism & Political Aggression, online before print.

• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2020) Uncovering the Far-Right Online Ecosystem. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, online before print.

• Rousseau E., Baele S. (2020) “Filthy Lapdogs”, “Jerks”, and “Hitler” – Making Sense of International Insults. International Studies Review, 23(3).

• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2019) From “Incel” to “Saint”: Analyzing the Violent Worldview behind the 2018 Toronto Attack. Terrorism & Political Violence, online before print.

• Richards H., Baele S., Coan T. (2019) Studying “Radio Machete”: Towards a Robust Research Programme. Journal of Genocide Research 21(4).

• Baele S. (2019) Conspiratorial Narratives in Violent Political Actors’ Language. Journal of Language & Social Psychology 38(5-6).

• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T., eds. (2019) ISIS Propaganda: A Full-Spectrum Extremist Messaging. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T. (2019) Lethal Images: Analysing Extremist Visual Propaganda from ISIS and Beyond. Journal of Global Security Studies 5(4).

• Baele S., Bettiza G., Boyd K., Coan T. (2019) ISIS’ Clash of Civilizations: Constructing the “West” in Terrorist Propaganda. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 44(11).

• Baele S., Hoeffler A., Lewis D., Slingeneyer T., Sterck O. (2018) The Ethics of Security Research. An Ethics Framework for Contemporary Security Studies. International Studies Perspectives 19(2).

• Baele S., Bourbeau P., Balzacq T. (2017) Numbers in Global Security Governance. European Journal of International Security 3(1).

• Baele S., Coan T., Sterck O. (2017) Security through Numbers? Experimentally Assessing the Impact of Numerical Arguments in Security Communication. British Journal of Politics & International Relations 20(2).

• Baele S., Sterck O., Lits G., Slingeneyer T. (2017) What Does the ‘Terrorism’ Label Really Do? Measuring and Explaining the Effects of the “Terrorism” Category. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 42(5).

• Baele S., Thomson C. (2017) An Experimental Agenda for Securitization. International Studies Review 19(4).

• Baele S., Bettiza G. (2016) What do Academic Metrics do to Political Scientists? Theorizing their Roots, Locating their Effects. Politics 37(4).

• Baele S. (2016) Lone Actor Terrorists’ Emotions and Cognition: An Evaluation Beyond Stereotypes. Political Psychology 38(3).

• Baele S., Sterck O., Meur E. (2016) Theorizing and Measuring Emotions in Conflict. The Case of the 2011 Palestinian Statehood Bid. Journal of Conflict Resolution 60(4).

• Balzacq T., Baele S. (2015) The Third Debate and Postpositivism. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies.

• Baele S., Sterck O. (2015) Diagnosing the Securitization of Immigration at the EU level: A New Method for Stronger Empirical Claims. Political Studies 63(5).

• Baele S. (2014) Are Terrorists “Insane”? A Critical Analysis of Mental Health Categories in Terrorism Trials. Critical Studies on Terrorism 7(2).

• Baele S. (2013) Psychologie. In Balzacq T., Ramel F. (eds.), Traité de Relations Internationales, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po.

• Baele S. (2013) The Ethics of New Development Economics. Is the Experimental Approach to Development Economics Morally Wrong? Journal of Philosophical Economics 7(1).

• Baele S. (2013) Prix Nobel de la Paix 2012 à l’UE: Les Trois Faces de la Polémique. Revue des Questions Scientifiques 184(3).

• Baele S. (2012) Un Conte Moral: De l’Utilité des Bienveillantes de Jonathan Littell dans le Cadre d’un Enseignement d’Ethique. L’Enseignement Philosophique 62(3).

• Baele S., ed. (2012) Belgique: Sortir de Crise(s). Louvain: Presses Universitaires de Louvain – Emulations.

• Baele S. (2011) Le Conflit Israélo-Palestinien comme Problème Psychologique. Études Internationales 42(2).

• Baele S. (2011) Wittgenstein, Ludwig (1889-1951). In Bourdeau V., Merrill R. (eds.) Dictionnaire de Théorie Politique.

• Baele S., ed. (2010) Catégories Politiques: Enjeux Ethiques au Cœur du Pouvoir. Louvain: Presses Universitaires de Louvain – Emulations.

Non peer-reviewed papers and book reviews (selection)

• Baele S. (2022) Artificial Intelligence and Extremism: The Threat of Language Models. CREST Guide, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/artificial-intelligence-and-extremism-the-threat-of-language-models/.
• Baele S. (2021) Book Review: Brown R, Henri Tajfel: Explorer of Identity and Difference. Political Studies Review.
• Baele S., Brace L. (2021) Coalfax. ExId Research Briefs.
• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2021) Mining The Chans: Project Report, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/mining-the-chans/.
• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2020) MineChans: Final Report. Extended research summary, not available to the public.
• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2020) The MineChans Project: Scraping and Analysis Tool. Software delivered to the UK Home Office’s OSCT (Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism), not available to the public.
• Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2020) The “Chans”: Hubs for Far-right Extremists. Policy Brief to the UK Home Office’s OSCT (Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism), not available to the public.
• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T. (2017) To What Extent – And How – Does IS’ Propaganda Discuss Western Powers’ Security & Foreign Policy? Policy Brief to the UK Home Office’s OSCT (Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism), not available to the public.
• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T. (2018) Computer-Assisted Analysis of Extremist Online Content. Research-to-Practice Poster, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/analysis-extremist-online-content/.
• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T. (2017) Extremist Prose as Networks. Policy Brief published in CREST Security Review n.5, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/?s=csr5.
• Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T. (2017) Text Mining Islamic State’s Online Propaganda. Research-to-Practice Poster, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/baele-boyd-coan-poster/.
• Baele S. (2016) Review of Gary Schaub Jr., Ryan Kelty, eds. (2016) Private Military and Security Contractors: Controlling the Corporate Warrior. Defence Studies 17(1).