Julia Ebner and Fikri Anıl Altıntaş in Conversation: From Fitness to Fascism. The Dangers of Extreme Masculinity

When do men become susceptible to violence? How does violent masculinity become a lucrative global business? And how can it be harnessed for the political agenda of extremists?

As a renowned expert on radicalization, an intrepid investigator, and a brilliant analyst, she finds answers and reveals how men lose their way. Anationalist “Active Clubs,” AI-driven sexualized violence, and high-reach gurus like Andrew Tate, Clavicular, or Nick Fuentes—and their promise: “Looksmaxxing” equals success, equals dominance over women, equals global hegemony of strong men.

Julia Ebner, born in Vienna in 1991, heads the Violent Extremism Lab at the University of Oxford and is co-executive director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, where she oversees projects on online radicalization, terrorism, conspiracy myths, and hate speech. As an expert, she advises governments, intelligence agencies, technology companies, and international organizations such as the UN, Europol, and NATO. She writes regularly for media outlets such as The Guardian, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and gives public talks and guest lectures at universities in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. Her book *Radikalisierungsmaschinen* was named “Science Book of the Year,” was a *SPIEGEL* bestseller, and appeared on the non-fiction bestseller list. *Massenradikalisierung* was her highly acclaimed second book.

Fikri Anıl Altıntaş, born in Wetzlar in 1992, lives and works in Berlin. In his writing—for publications such as *Die Zeit*, *taz*, *Deutschlandfunk Kultur*, ZDF, and the Berliner Ensemble, among others—he explores masculinities, antifeminism, and the (de)construction of non-white, Muslim-read masculinities in Germany. His debut novel, *Im Morgen wächst ein Birnbaum*, was published in 2023. His second novel, *Zwischen uns liegt August*, followed in 2025.