Rape: A History From 1860 To The Present

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Rape: A History From 1860 To The Present
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Professor Joanna Bourke
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:576
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 128
Category/GenreHistory of specific subjects
ISBN/Barcode 9781844081554
ClassificationsDewey:364.1532
Audience
General
Illustrations Integrated: 20, int pix

Publishing Details

Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publication Date 3 July 2008
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Joanna Bourke, author of the critically-acclaimed Fear, unflinchingly and controversially moves away from looking at victims to look at the rapists. She examines the nature of rape, drawing together the work of criminologists, sociologists and psychiatrists to analyse what drives the perpetrators of sexual violence. Rape - A History looks at the perception of rape, both in the mass media and the wider public, and considers the crucial questions of treatment and punishment. Should sexual offenders be castrated Will Freud's couch or the behaviourists' laboratory work most effectively Particular groups of offenders such as female abusers, psychopaths and exhibitionists are given special attention here, as are potentially dangerous environments, including the home, prison, and the military. By demystifying the category of the rapist and revealing the specificities of the past, Joanna Bourke dares to consider a future in which sexual violence has been placed outside the human experience.

Author Biography

Joanna Bourke is a professor of history at Birkbeck College in London. Her book An Intimate History of Killing received critical acclaim, winning the Wolfson History Prize.

Reviews

'Academically rigorous ... elegant, readable and gripping' OBSERVER 'Launches a disciplined and chilling account ... unflinching' GUARDIAN 'Thought-provoking at every turn' INDEPENDENT 'This is a comprehensive survey of sexual criminality over the past 150 years ... [it] is a thorough, intelligent, and balanced examination of a crime whose prevalence is only rising' Lionel Shriver, FT