Disgrace : Global Reflections on Sexual Violence

‘[A] monumental feat of research and an act of political scrutiny at its most far-reaching. From India to Haiti, from Abu Ghraib to Namibia, Bourke trails the cruel incidence of rape across the globe… Disgrace will become required reading for anyone seeking to put rape at the forefront of the struggle to make the world a better and safer place.’—Jacqueline Rose, author of On Violence Against Women

This unprecedented study of rape culture explores how sexual violence varies widely across time and place, from nineteenth-century peasant women in Ireland who were abducted as a way of forcing marriage, to date-raped high-school students in twentieth-century America; and from girls and women violated by Russian soldiers in 1945, to Dalit women raped by men of higher castes today. The book delves into the factors that facilitate violence— including institutions, ideologies, and practices—but also gives voice to survivors and activists, drawing inspiration from their struggles. Ultimately, Joanna Bourke intends to forge a transnational feminism that will promote a more harmonious, equal and rape- and violence-free world.

‘Across geographies, cultures, and eras, the reality of sexual violence has always served as a sobering reminder of humanity’s flaws and cruelties. Here is an eye-opening book to help us understand that reality more fully—and to help us envision a future free of rape.’—Winnie M Li, activist, rape survivor, and author of Dark Chapter and Complicit