The Politics of Sexual Violence

"With the recent media interest in celebrity childhood sexual abuse and rape cases, we think we know what sexual violence is and who 'rape victims' are. However, this portrayal is limited because sexual violence is compartmentalised into stranger or date rape, and 'rape victims' are categorised as innocent or responsible. Trivialisation and sensationalisation erase certain experiences from cultural consciousness. Drawing on in-depth and emotive accounts from women who have experienced rape, and a range of feminist theories, this book provides the missing detail to present more accurately the reality of rape. Revisiting issues of identity, credibility, responsibility, and the transformative politics of SlutWalk, this book questions the predominance of psychology as the defining authority on sexual violence and the misogyny of rape culture. This book will appeal to both practitioners and scholars of sexual violence"--