Jillian Sunderland
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About Jillian
Sunderland’s research focuses on masculinity, radicalization, and how gender shapes public safety and institutional trust. Overarching themes in Sunderland’s work include gender, power, and the governance of harm in public institutions. Sunderland serves as a public scholar engaging national audiences through the CBC, Toronto Star, and the Canadian Defence and Security Network, advancing dialogue on how masculinities shape public safety, violence, and social cohesion in Canada.
Contributions
In the News
Publications
Investigates how mainstream newspapers framed a gang sexual assault at an elite all-boys school. Argues that the gendered and sociological framing of the coverage, while seemingly more critical, ultimately shifted blame away from elite actors and institutional systems.
Examines media coverage of two European women who joined ISIS—Shamima Begum, whose British citizenship was revoked, and Laura Hansen, who was allowed to return and be rehabilitated. Argues that media portrayals of them as mothers, wives, and daughters shape public justification for these contrasting outcomes.
Uses a qualitative analysis of the Stormfront.org forum to examine how different forms of extreme-right masculinity interact within the white nationalist movement. Finds that two competing masculine strategies vie for site dominance.