Sexual Abuse & Harassment books

‘Rough sex’ has been at the forefront of criminal law in recent years following several high-profile murders of women killed during alleged consensual sex ‘gone wrong’, leading to widespread calls for reform to prevent the use of what has been termed the ‘rough sex defence.’ Situated in a global context in which violence against women is one of the leading preventable contributors to death and illness for women aged 18–44 worldwide, this timely collection examines the rough sex defence and responds to some of the wider debates around sex and the law. Drawing on a range of empirical and theoretical standpoints, chapters delve into a range of topics including the female experience of ‘unwanted’ slapping, choking and spitting during sex, the BDSM community, the impacts of pornography, the normalization and sexualization of violence against women, early depictions of BDSM involving the eroticization of non-consensual relations, problematic perceptions of BDSM as inherently violent, and more. Bows and Herring expertly collate a wide-reaching mix of perspectives to contribute to a powerful feminist investigation of this critical issue. It is a compelling read for scholars interested in the intersection of sex, the law, and the criminal justice system.

A global discourse regarding gender and violence is emerging as feminists, media experts, and social scientists consider the place of gender in episodic acts and chronic conditions of violence. The chapters in this two-part volume offer understandings of the relationship between violence and gender from the global to the domestic level. In Part B, authors trace the history of feminist antiviolence efforts, theorize the reproduction of symbolic gender violence, and show how violence might be re-conceptualized in comparative and intersectional perspective. They show how historical, cultural and religious elements contribute to or complicate violence, how development efforts can backfire, and how actions and techniques applied by governments and NGOs can reduce or exacerbate violence. Substantive topics addressed are as varied as masculinity in U.S. prisons, child abuse in Israel, neo-Nazism in Germany and religious nationalism in India. Much of the research was done on the ground through participant observation, interaction in affected communities and interviews with change agents directly involved. Each of the chapters has theoretical as well as policy or social implications.