Masking hegemonic masculinity: Reconstructing the paedophile as the dangerous stranger
Masking hegemonic masculinity: Reconstructing the paedophile as the dangerous stranger
This paper reviews the social constructions of the paedophile as these are embodied in clinical and journalistic discourses. It considers how these discourses have influenced community perceptions of risk and professional responses to the concerns they portray. It then locates these professional constructions within a context of hegemonic masculinity and unsafe families. It concludes that community safety is not adequately addressed by professional assessments of risk that focus primarily on the problems posed by known paedophiles. It is important to consider the problem of sexual violence in a much wider context that problematises the context in which sexual abuse occurs.
399-415
Cowburn, Malcolm
4f2c96c2-8dd8-4009-a76c-a61a8d965c42
Dominelli, Lena
6cf8fcb9-21dd-4f09-b5a5-0776a10a2cdb
2001
Cowburn, Malcolm
4f2c96c2-8dd8-4009-a76c-a61a8d965c42
Dominelli, Lena
6cf8fcb9-21dd-4f09-b5a5-0776a10a2cdb
Cowburn, Malcolm and Dominelli, Lena
(2001)
Masking hegemonic masculinity: Reconstructing the paedophile as the dangerous stranger.
British Journal of Social Work, 31 (3), .
(doi:10.1093/bjsw/31.3.399).
Abstract
This paper reviews the social constructions of the paedophile as these are embodied in clinical and journalistic discourses. It considers how these discourses have influenced community perceptions of risk and professional responses to the concerns they portray. It then locates these professional constructions within a context of hegemonic masculinity and unsafe families. It concludes that community safety is not adequately addressed by professional assessments of risk that focus primarily on the problems posed by known paedophiles. It is important to consider the problem of sexual violence in a much wider context that problematises the context in which sexual abuse occurs.
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Published date: 2001
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Local EPrints ID: 33554
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/33554
ISSN: 0045-3102
PURE UUID: 70a42971-da16-45e1-a7d1-cc9a57840f0e
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Date deposited: 17 May 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:44
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Author:
Malcolm Cowburn
Author:
Lena Dominelli
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