Speaking of ‘violence’

Figleaf use in sexualized violence contexts

Bibliographic Data

ID10344355
AuthorsMadeleine Kenyon (University of Waterloo, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume74
Issue4
Pages1207-1227
Publication date2024-05-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Philosophical Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-8094 • E-ISSN: 1467-9213
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/pq/pqae047
OpenAlexW4396871923
LanguageEN
References cited20

In this project, I develop the concept of a sexualized violence figleaf, a speech mechanism often used in sexualized violence discourse to dismiss or characterize assault as some other kind of thing: a misunderstanding, a change of heart by the victim, a mischaracterization of the perpetrator, or any other number of things which are not rape, or violence. Sexualized violence figleaves are an extension of Jennifer Saul's work on racial and gender figleaves, as the underlying mechanics of the utterance track those of Saul's figleaves. In other words, I am developing a figleaf variant, showing that this conceptual tool is useful for analysing utterances beyond racist, sexist, and conspiracist speech, upon which Saul focuses. Rather, bringing figleaves into the realm of sexualized violence discourse illuminates features of the discourse which are often obscured by the prevalence of strong social intuitions about rapists and their corresponding character

Criminology · Sexual violence · Sociology · Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Psychology

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