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Transforming a Rape Culture
First published in 1993, Transforming a Rape Culture has provided a new understanding of sexual violence and its origins in this culture. This groundbreaking work seeks nothing less than fundamental cultural change: the transformation of basic attitudes about power, gender, race, and sexuality.
The editors thoroughly reviewed the book for this new edition, selecting eight new essays that address topics such as rape as war crime, sports and sexual violence, sexual abuse among the clergy, conflict between traditional mores and women's rights in the Asian American and Latin American communities, as well insightful analyses of cyberporn.
The diverse contributors are activists, opinion leaders, theologians, policymakers, educators, and authors of both genders. An excellent text for undergraduate classes in Women's Studies, Family Sociology or Criminal Justice, the book is being reissued on the 10th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.
The editors thoroughly reviewed the book for this new edition, selecting eight new essays that address topics such as rape as war crime, sports and sexual violence, sexual abuse among the clergy, conflict between traditional mores and women's rights in the Asian American and Latin American communities, as well insightful analyses of cyberporn.
The diverse contributors are activists, opinion leaders, theologians, policymakers, educators, and authors of both genders. An excellent text for undergraduate classes in Women's Studies, Family Sociology or Criminal Justice, the book is being reissued on the 10th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
43 people are currently reading
3452 people want to read
About the author
Emilie Buchwald
17 books14 followersEmilie Buchwald has worked as an editor, poet, teacher, and award-winning children’s author. She is the co-founder and former publisher of Milkweed Editions. Buchwald has been honored with the prestigious McKnight Distinguished Artist Award, the Kay Sexton Award in recognition of outstanding work in fostering books, reading, and literary activity, and, in 2008, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the National Book Critics Circle. Buchwald is also the author of the award-winning children’s novel, Gildaen, and she is currently the publisher of The Gryphon Press. She lives in Edina, Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 28, 2009
This book was a severe disappointment. I was suggesting to a radical feminist that it would be difficult to study rape scientifically, because it's such an emotional subject, and scientists would be afraid to hypothesize anything that isn't politically correct and feminist-approved. She was outraged and told me to shut my face and start reading, and she recommended this. So I did.
Unsurprisingly, this book is packed full of more of the same radical feminist ideology. Blah blah, patriarchy, blah blah, male privilege, blah blah, entitlement. There's nothing new or scientific here. It's all written by women's studies and literature students and professors. There are even plays and poems, some of which have misspellings and abbreviations for common words, for "artistic effect." I have nothing against art as a means of mind change, but until we understand why rape happens, biologically, psychologically, and sociologically, art is little more than an expression of outrage at something we don't fully understand.
Literature professors aren't able to test new hypotheses. They're only able to write eloquently about old hypotheses. The hypothesis is that male privilege causes men to feel entitled to rape women. These essays don't give evidence for such a bold and simplistic claim; they only give examples where men act as though they feel that way, and speculate about what about our culture instills men with that conviction. Untested explanations based on speculation is mythology, not science.
This book is mostly a radical feminism perspective, the very first essay being the queen of all radical feminists, Andrea Dworkin, spewing her blatantly anti-male slander.
Some of the essays were good, such as the ones about sports, and the one by bell hooks, but they didn't come close to making it worth trudging through the rest.
Unsurprisingly, this book is packed full of more of the same radical feminist ideology. Blah blah, patriarchy, blah blah, male privilege, blah blah, entitlement. There's nothing new or scientific here. It's all written by women's studies and literature students and professors. There are even plays and poems, some of which have misspellings and abbreviations for common words, for "artistic effect." I have nothing against art as a means of mind change, but until we understand why rape happens, biologically, psychologically, and sociologically, art is little more than an expression of outrage at something we don't fully understand.
Literature professors aren't able to test new hypotheses. They're only able to write eloquently about old hypotheses. The hypothesis is that male privilege causes men to feel entitled to rape women. These essays don't give evidence for such a bold and simplistic claim; they only give examples where men act as though they feel that way, and speculate about what about our culture instills men with that conviction. Untested explanations based on speculation is mythology, not science.
This book is mostly a radical feminism perspective, the very first essay being the queen of all radical feminists, Andrea Dworkin, spewing her blatantly anti-male slander.
Some of the essays were good, such as the ones about sports, and the one by bell hooks, but they didn't come close to making it worth trudging through the rest.
April 24, 2009
The issues I took with this book was that it was lacking radical analysis, as well as the perspectives of writers of color. The articles were very white and very liberal, and because of that, I saw it as lacking.
However, there was quite a bit of very useful information and perspectives offered by this book. I would still recommend it for anyone educating themselves on feminist theory, because the analysis is well thought out and the information is well sourced.
However, there was quite a bit of very useful information and perspectives offered by this book. I would still recommend it for anyone educating themselves on feminist theory, because the analysis is well thought out and the information is well sourced.
June 23, 2018
I recommend this book because it is very good.
February 23, 2008
I wish I had read a book like this about 15 years ago.
September 18, 2007
Some of the essays written for this book are *excellent.* Others are weaker, but none are not worth reading. The line that divides the excellent essays from the others often has to do with the salience and staying power of the topic (the first publication was approx. 1993, and so a few pieces will seem old hat). The tone of the book ranges, but for the most part it moves between personal reflections, academic writing (citations included), and activism.
If you think you don't have to read this book because you've seen/read The Vagina Monologues, give it another thought. If I had to summarize the difference: The Vagina Monologues are great for raising awareness and eliciting emotion, but Transforming a Rape Culture does all that AND substantially digs into the psychological, historical, and philosophical roots of sexual violence; moreover it presents alternative social/interpersonal schemas. The personal reflections are not written by your average joe/josie selected off the street (as in the Vagina Monologues); they are profound, insightful and interspersed with cultural examination, written by those who deal with these issues in some aspect of their professional lives. In other words, they're more like guides or maps than personal reflections.
Another thing I like about this book is that you can read it in bits at a time. The writing is meaningful, direct and transformative, so it's best to absorb it in bits. You can read an essay a day, like a meditation, without having to devote long periods of time to it. I dog-eared a number of pieces to revisit after finishing the whole book, which turned out to be a good idea.
A final note: some of the best essays in this book were written by men.
----------------------
My favorite essays ( *** ~ capital-F Favorites):
***Religion and Violence: The Persistence of Ambivalence (Joan H. Timmerman)
Outside In: A Man in the Movement (Richard S. Orton)
***The Lie of Entitlement (Terrence Crowley)
***Seduced By Violence No More (bell hooks)
Radical Heterosexuality (Naomi Wolf)
******In Praise of Insubordination (Inés Hernandez-Avila)
A Woman With a Sword (D.A. Clarke)
***Up From Brutality (W. J. Musa Moore-Foster)
Whose Body Is It, Anyway? (Pamela R. Fletcher)
If you think you don't have to read this book because you've seen/read The Vagina Monologues, give it another thought. If I had to summarize the difference: The Vagina Monologues are great for raising awareness and eliciting emotion, but Transforming a Rape Culture does all that AND substantially digs into the psychological, historical, and philosophical roots of sexual violence; moreover it presents alternative social/interpersonal schemas. The personal reflections are not written by your average joe/josie selected off the street (as in the Vagina Monologues); they are profound, insightful and interspersed with cultural examination, written by those who deal with these issues in some aspect of their professional lives. In other words, they're more like guides or maps than personal reflections.
Another thing I like about this book is that you can read it in bits at a time. The writing is meaningful, direct and transformative, so it's best to absorb it in bits. You can read an essay a day, like a meditation, without having to devote long periods of time to it. I dog-eared a number of pieces to revisit after finishing the whole book, which turned out to be a good idea.
A final note: some of the best essays in this book were written by men.
----------------------
My favorite essays ( *** ~ capital-F Favorites):
***Religion and Violence: The Persistence of Ambivalence (Joan H. Timmerman)
Outside In: A Man in the Movement (Richard S. Orton)
***The Lie of Entitlement (Terrence Crowley)
***Seduced By Violence No More (bell hooks)
Radical Heterosexuality (Naomi Wolf)
******In Praise of Insubordination (Inés Hernandez-Avila)
A Woman With a Sword (D.A. Clarke)
***Up From Brutality (W. J. Musa Moore-Foster)
Whose Body Is It, Anyway? (Pamela R. Fletcher)
November 17, 2011
The revised edition of Transforming a Rape Cultureis a well-written collection of essays about how to get serious about ending sexual violence against women in this country and around the world. Essays are divided into three parts: Living in a rape culture, Strategies and activism, Visions and possibilities. Although the volume is specifically about rape, it discusses how it is supported by the underlying patriarchal social structure, and how that structure affects minority women especially. The essays, especially those from male voices, offers hope that rape isn't something ingrained in human nature and we can imagine and build a world where it is exceedingly rare.
February 13, 2013
Reading this book was an eye opening experience, from a male sheltered point of view I have always felt I was an ally for feminine rights. However, in many ways I am not doing enough. The culture we are surrounded by makes it easy to become normalized and many are taught to blame victims of rape, even when it happens to someone they love. There are plenty of thought provoking essays within this tome and I highly recommend it for anyone with a mother/sister/wife/grandmother/et al.
September 16, 2018
With a collection of different essays, it is inevitable that it would be a mixed bag. Some are very good and some less so. I do think it worth mentioning is that one of the most pointless ones - Michael Kimmel's - was also the one with the fewest notes. Perhaps if he had put in more study time, it would have been different.
I really appreciate the effort to get writers representing many different communities and walks of life. Knowing that this edition was compiled in 2003, I would expect more things to feel out of date, but the essays that seem most dated might have been kind of outdated then too. Surprisingly, one about internet spaces that focuses a lot on LiveJournal is timely, because the steps a featured site took to create a healthy community would still work today for different sites. That may be one good lesson, that principles can transfer across technologies.
I also have to acknowledge that even while I disagree with the directions of some of the essays, they were asking new questions, and some stumbling around makes sense. We still haven't seen what the transformed culture would look like.
Finally, it is a fairly minor point but a good piece by Richard S Orton, Learning to Listen, refers to his "blank spaces". It is clear that he is talking about what we more frequently refer to as "privilege" now, but some people react so strongly to that term, maybe "blank spaces" can be a good substitute.
I really appreciate the effort to get writers representing many different communities and walks of life. Knowing that this edition was compiled in 2003, I would expect more things to feel out of date, but the essays that seem most dated might have been kind of outdated then too. Surprisingly, one about internet spaces that focuses a lot on LiveJournal is timely, because the steps a featured site took to create a healthy community would still work today for different sites. That may be one good lesson, that principles can transfer across technologies.
I also have to acknowledge that even while I disagree with the directions of some of the essays, they were asking new questions, and some stumbling around makes sense. We still haven't seen what the transformed culture would look like.
Finally, it is a fairly minor point but a good piece by Richard S Orton, Learning to Listen, refers to his "blank spaces". It is clear that he is talking about what we more frequently refer to as "privilege" now, but some people react so strongly to that term, maybe "blank spaces" can be a good substitute.
May 18, 2012
Decent. A little outdated (it's from the early nineties) but about half of the essays are still very informative (especially the ones on the disclosing to clergy and workplace harassment). The others were were either stuff I already knew, personal stories or just not good essays.
For the most part the personal stories were all well written and had an interesting thesis so they were still a good edition to the book. And it's more me immersing myself in this field for a while that some of the essays were just review - so no fault of the editors who collected the essays.
But some essays just made me angry (this may have to do with it being from the early 90s and it seems like there are some attitude/theory differences between now and then), and there were some where I felt like the writer was yelling at me. Usually if someone picks up a book like this, they are willing to learn and already interested. The yelling was a little unnecessary.
For the most part the personal stories were all well written and had an interesting thesis so they were still a good edition to the book. And it's more me immersing myself in this field for a while that some of the essays were just review - so no fault of the editors who collected the essays.
But some essays just made me angry (this may have to do with it being from the early 90s and it seems like there are some attitude/theory differences between now and then), and there were some where I felt like the writer was yelling at me. Usually if someone picks up a book like this, they are willing to learn and already interested. The yelling was a little unnecessary.
July 29, 2008
This book renewed my hope that it is possible, within our lifetimes, to transform the culture that we have bred that tolerates and promotes sexual violence. We all have a choice, so let's use it to change this world!!
February 8, 2012
A must-read for anyone who wants to understand rape culture. An eye-opener to how bad rape is in America; it really makes you angry, but in a good way. Very upsetting, that our rape culture is getting worse and not better.
January 11, 2008
the motherfucking shit.
Read
August 24, 2022was planning on only reading grandma’s essay but ended up reading the whole collection! difficult to rate b/c some essays weren’t very good and others were
Read
June 19, 2020This book is a collection of essays exploring rape culture in America-including the church’s response to domestic violence, why collegiate fraternities are dangerous for women, and a call for a
day without rape.
I work in a neighborhood center that regularly sees prostitutes and other victims of sexual abuse. Understanding some of the cultural factors that contribute to this sort of violence is important not only when interacting with victims or perpetuators of sexual violence, but when looking at programming to address the phenomenon.
Why should other Corps member read or not read this book?
I think other Corps members should read this book because it addresses some of the cultural and institutional factors that keep rape around. Rape is addressed as a cultural phenomenon more than an individual one, which I think is important because there are definitely factors in this culture that make rape more acceptable than it should be. It also points out that rape culture is harmful for men as well, and that all genders would benefit by transforming it.
Also, one thing I really enjoyed about this book was the variety of perspectives included within it. This is not just one author’s opinion about rape culture but numerous authors addressing particular facets of the culture.
day without rape.
I work in a neighborhood center that regularly sees prostitutes and other victims of sexual abuse. Understanding some of the cultural factors that contribute to this sort of violence is important not only when interacting with victims or perpetuators of sexual violence, but when looking at programming to address the phenomenon.
Why should other Corps member read or not read this book?
I think other Corps members should read this book because it addresses some of the cultural and institutional factors that keep rape around. Rape is addressed as a cultural phenomenon more than an individual one, which I think is important because there are definitely factors in this culture that make rape more acceptable than it should be. It also points out that rape culture is harmful for men as well, and that all genders would benefit by transforming it.
Also, one thing I really enjoyed about this book was the variety of perspectives included within it. This is not just one author’s opinion about rape culture but numerous authors addressing particular facets of the culture.
July 2, 2018
A thoroughly written, passionately defended, and practically-minded collection of essays about how to transform the underlying social conditions that allow for sexual assault to be such a widespread problem across the United States. Essential reading for anybody who takes preventing sexual assault as a serious cause
June 26, 2017
Thought provoking. Actual
November 22, 2019
Interesting read on the abuse of power that happens which leads to a violation of bodily integrity.
August 27, 2020
Very good but we must also keep in mind its age, as it was published over 20 years ago.
April 16, 2021
This story is definitely terrific.
June 22, 2021
This book is really awasome.
June 18, 2018
This book is perfect, i enjoyed it.
September 26, 2008
This is a beautiful book. It's an anthology of essays, some on how our acceptance of rape is portrayed, some on what we're doing to help that, others that discuss certain aspects of rapes. With all the books I've read, this one was an especially informative, statistically, emotionally, and socially.
May 15, 2009
Although a bit outdated, there are several good analytical essays regarding interlocking oppressions in terms of a rape culture. Although it is pretty conservative in terms of sexuality. Lacking in sex positivity when discussing things such as porn, and discussing female-identified sexuality. Also the book is a tad transphobic.
February 6, 2016
Some good articles and some pretty atrocious articles. All in all, a good read if you're reading for the history of anti-rape activism since this compilation is from the '90s and is a good showcase of a lot of the thought from that time period, but a lot of the themes are rather outdated and some are just plain wrong.
February 6, 2016
Great collection of widely-varying essays on changing the rape culture, from all kinds of people coming from all kinds of perspectives. Some of these were duds and some were apparently written by people who have never thought about this at all before. But others were great, thoughtful and made good suggestions.
November 19, 2010
An intense and powerful read.
A bit anti-pornography.
The message is still strong, and the stories, essays, poems, and media references found withing are without peer when you weigh them against the small stature of the book.
A bit anti-pornography.
The message is still strong, and the stories, essays, poems, and media references found withing are without peer when you weigh them against the small stature of the book.
May 5, 2015
This is a good book. I think it's important for everyone to read to see where our culture is. It's a hard read just because of the subject. I am very interested in this field and sometimes it was hard for me to keep going. I just wanted to sit and cry sometimes. Still good informative read.
September 11, 2008
Thoroughly necessary!
November 14, 2010
A series of essays about the rape culture that include ways of changing it.
September 12, 2016
Collection of essays
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews