The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Deconstructing the house that Jack built: an examination of the discursive regime of sexual murder

Deconstructing the house that Jack built: an examination of the discursive regime of sexual murder
Deconstructing the house that Jack built: an examination of the discursive regime of sexual murder
This research takes the form of a Foucauldian Genealogical Discourse Analysis and is premised upon the hypothesis that there is a cultural conflation of the offences of rape and murder produced within the dominant discourse of sexual murder. In examining the discourse across key institutional sites of media and police operational practice, common regimes of truth and discursive objects are identified and their relationship to power and knowledge analysed.
A key aim was to establish if the powerful relationship existing between the offences of rape and murder is implicated in the skewed perception of rape trauma and rape as an offence, noted in previous research that is seen to impede successful prosecutions (Kelly et al 2005, Young 1998, Wolbert Burgess and Holstrom 1974).
It was concluded that the kind of violence exemplified in the discourse of sexual murder has created a framework for making meaning of violence towards women by men, more generally. The sexual framing of violence against women constructed in the discourse and practiced in media and law enforcement has reversed the feminist proposition that rape is violence, so instead of understanding rape as a form of violence, we can understand violence against women as a form of rape
Monckton-Smith, J.
235b31d4-b433-48fc-aac4-141e7e6af2c3
Monckton-Smith, J.
235b31d4-b433-48fc-aac4-141e7e6af2c3

Monckton-Smith, J. (2006) Deconstructing the house that Jack built: an examination of the discursive regime of sexual murder. Cardiff University, Social Sciences, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

This research takes the form of a Foucauldian Genealogical Discourse Analysis and is premised upon the hypothesis that there is a cultural conflation of the offences of rape and murder produced within the dominant discourse of sexual murder. In examining the discourse across key institutional sites of media and police operational practice, common regimes of truth and discursive objects are identified and their relationship to power and knowledge analysed.
A key aim was to establish if the powerful relationship existing between the offences of rape and murder is implicated in the skewed perception of rape trauma and rape as an offence, noted in previous research that is seen to impede successful prosecutions (Kelly et al 2005, Young 1998, Wolbert Burgess and Holstrom 1974).
It was concluded that the kind of violence exemplified in the discourse of sexual murder has created a framework for making meaning of violence towards women by men, more generally. The sexual framing of violence against women constructed in the discourse and practiced in media and law enforcement has reversed the feminist proposition that rape is violence, so instead of understanding rape as a form of violence, we can understand violence against women as a form of rape

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2006

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 47406
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/47406
PURE UUID: 3bf96f8a-c597-46f0-8336-50ca76e2d322

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 02 Aug 2007
Last modified: 27 Sep 2023 16:42

Export record

Contributors

Author: J. Monckton-Smith

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×