Semiotics of Rape


Book Description

Rupal Oza follows the social life of rape in rural northwest India to reveal how rape is a language through which issues ranging from caste to justice to land are contested.




Semiotics of Rape


Book Description

In Semiotics of Rape, Rupal Oza follows the social life of rape in rural northwest India to reveal how rape is not only a violation of the body but a language through which a range of issues—including caste and gender hierarchies, control over land and labor, and the shape of justice—are contested. Rather than focus on the laws governing rape, Oza closely examines rape charges to show how the victims and survivors of rape reclaim their autonomy by refusing to see themselves as defined entirely by the act of violation. Oza also shows how rape cases become arenas where bureaucrats, village council members, caste communities, and the police debate women’s sexual subjectivities and how those varied understandings impact the status and reputations of individuals and groups. In this way, rape gains meaning beyond the level of the survivor and victim to create a social category. By tracing the shifting meanings of sexual violence and justice, Oza offers insights into the social significance of rape in India and beyond.




The Semiotics of Rape in Renaissance English Literature


Book Description

The Semiotics of Rape in Renaissance English Literature traces the development of laws regarding rape in pre- and early modern England, including Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Tudor changes to the legal code and how legal code, societal expectations of virtuous women, and medical theory interact to coerce silence from early modern rape victims. These forces come to play in the literary texts under examination, including poetry from Sir Philip Sidney and George Gascoigne and drama by William Shakespeare and Thomas Heywood. By examining the narratorial slippage, the gaps between the original Roman myth and the Elizabethan retellings of the narrative, this study seeks to tease out the sites of particularly English forms of misogyny and discover how this misogyny affects all women, not just those who are rape victims.







Looking In


Book Description

Mieke Bal is one of Europe's leading theorists and critics. Her work within feminist art history and cultural studies provides a fascinating alternative to prevailing thinking in these fields. The essays in this collection include Bal's brilliant analyses of the: Myth of Rembrandt Imagery of Vermeer Baroque of Caravaggio Neo-Baroque of David Reed Culture of the museum Visual representation of rape Closet in Proust Bal brings a keen visual sense to these studies, as well as an understanding of how literature represents visuality and how the ethics and aesthetics present within museums affect the cultural artifacts displayed. In his engaging commentary, eminent art historian Norman Bryson shows how Bal's original approach to the interdisciplinary study of art and visual culture has had wide- reaching influence.




The Language of Sexual Crime


Book Description

The Language of Sexual Crime explores the role of language in the construction of identity of both perpetrators and victims of sexual violence, the ways in which language is used in the detection of sexually-motivated crime, and the articulation/manipulation of language in police interviews, the courtroom and the media.




Rape and Dating Violence


Book Description

Discover the facts about intimate partner violence and sexual assault, including how to identify them and what to do if they happen to you. Part of Bloomsbury's Q&A Health Guides series, this book employs a user-friendly question-and-answer format to equip teens and young adults with the knowledge and tools they need to better understand and address rape and dating violence. The book's 43 questions cover definitions of rape and dating violence; how to recognize the signs of both; the short- and long-term impacts on both victims and perpetrators; the intersection of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, culture, and the media; and where and how to get help if you or someone you know has been affected. Augmenting the main text, a collection of 5 case studies illustrate key concepts and issues through relatable stories and insightful recommendations. The "Common Misconceptions" section at the beginning of the volume dispels 5 long-standing myths about rape and dating violence, directing readers to additional information in the text. The glossary defines terms that may be unfamiliar to readers, while a directory of resources curates a list of the most useful hotlines, books, websites, and other materials. Finally, whether they're looking for more information about this subject or any other health-related topic, readers can turn to the "Guide to Health Literacy" section for practical tools and strategies for finding, evaluating, and using credible sources of health information both on and off the Internet. Rape and dating violence are all-too-common occurrences in the United States and around the world. Readers will find the answers to the questions they may be too afraid or embarrassed to ask but which are critical for safeguarding physical and psychological health.




Rape by the Numbers


Book Description

Rape by the Numbers explores scientists' approaches to studying rape over more than forty years in the United States and Canada. In addition to investigating how scientists come to know the scope, causes, and consequences of rape, this book delves into the politics of rape research. Scholars who study rape often face a range of social pressures and resource constraints, including some that are unique to feminized and politicized fields of inquiry. Collectively, these matters have far-reaching consequences.




Rape on the Contemporary Stage


Book Description

This book investigates the representation of rape in British and Irish theatre since the second wave of the Women’s Movement. Mainly focusing on the period from the 1990s to the present, it identifies key feminist debates on rape and gender, and introduces a set of ideas about the function of rape as a form of embodied, gendered violence to the analysis of dramaturgical and performance strategies used in a range of important and/or controversial works. The chapters explore the dramatic representation of consent; feminist performance strategies that interrogate common attitudes to rape and rape survivors; the use of rape as an allegory for political oppression; the relationships of vulnerability, eroticism and affect in the understanding and representation of sexual violence; and recent work that engages with anti-rape activism to present women’s personal experiences on stage.




Reclamations of Shakespeare


Book Description