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A critique of carceral feminist arguments on rape myths and sexual scripts

A critique of carceral feminist arguments on rape myths and sexual scripts
A critique of carceral feminist arguments on rape myths and sexual scripts
Given the seriousness for both women and men of misunderstanding or miscategorising sexual victimization and coercion, scholarly engagement with this topic must be self-critical and careful about its methods and conclusions. This article seeks to test the plausibility and justifiability of some key claims made within feminist scholarship as regards the implications of the traditional sexual script and the prevalence and impact of the “real rape” myth. The criticisms offered below with respect to these claims identify three problems: a) that evidence that would challenge carceral feminists’ framing of the traditional sexual script as essentially a blueprint for rape is either marginalized or excluded from consideration altogether; b) that within that framing the scripted roles of the coercive male and the passive female who is victimized have been allowed to solidify into immovable and immutable stereotypes; c) that studies purporting to show that rape myth acceptance is highly prevalent and influential on popular attitudes are flawed in ways hitherto not fully acknowledged or explored
1933-4192
141-170
Gurnham, David
f63e1a54-5924-4fd0-a3f5-521311cee101
Gurnham, David
f63e1a54-5924-4fd0-a3f5-521311cee101

Gurnham, David (2016) A critique of carceral feminist arguments on rape myths and sexual scripts. New Criminal Law Review, 19 (2), 141-170. (doi:10.1525/nclr.2016.19.2.141).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Given the seriousness for both women and men of misunderstanding or miscategorising sexual victimization and coercion, scholarly engagement with this topic must be self-critical and careful about its methods and conclusions. This article seeks to test the plausibility and justifiability of some key claims made within feminist scholarship as regards the implications of the traditional sexual script and the prevalence and impact of the “real rape” myth. The criticisms offered below with respect to these claims identify three problems: a) that evidence that would challenge carceral feminists’ framing of the traditional sexual script as essentially a blueprint for rape is either marginalized or excluded from consideration altogether; b) that within that framing the scripted roles of the coercive male and the passive female who is victimized have been allowed to solidify into immovable and immutable stereotypes; c) that studies purporting to show that rape myth acceptance is highly prevalent and influential on popular attitudes are flawed in ways hitherto not fully acknowledged or explored

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NCLR1902_01_Gurnham-Rape myths and sexual scripts.pdf - Other
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: March 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 18 April 2016
Published date: 1 May 2016
Organisations: Southampton Law School

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 375604
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/375604
ISSN: 1933-4192
PURE UUID: 36005c67-0ca4-44cf-ad19-eaf01c7867d4
ORCID for David Gurnham: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6807-7587

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Date deposited: 10 Apr 2015 08:46
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:43

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