Encyclopedia of Rape

Rape has been perpetrated throughout history and worldwide, and today ours has been called a rape culture, because sexual violence, mainly against women and children, is prevalent and tolerated to some extent. The Encyclopedia of Rape offers 185 entries in an A-to-Z essay format covering the historical scope and magnitude of the issue in the United States and globally. Written by a host of scholars from diverse fields, it provides informed perspectives on the key dimensions of the topic, from concepts, social movements, offenders, high-profile cases, legislation, influential activists, landmark texts, and victimology to representations in literature and art. This solid, accessible ready-reference will allow students and the general reader to contextualize current events and reading and viewing in history, literature and the Bible, film, art history, gender studies, psychology, criminology, popular culture, and more. Rape is a topic of perpetual relevance and remains deeply controversial, as it involves the sexual act. Although women are the primary targets of rape and thus the focus of discussion of it, the rape of men, children, and animals is also considered in the encyclopedia. Up to date, it contains insight on the manifestations of rape today, including as a tool of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and genocide in Rwanda, the Catholic Church priest scandals, and drug-facilitated date rape. Added value comes from an abundance of statistics, suggested reading for further research per entry, chronology, resource guide, and appendix listing entries by topic.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Chronology List of Entries Encyclopedia Resource Guide Appendix: List of Entries by Topic Index About the Author and Contributors

About the Author :
MERRIL D. SMITH is an independent scholar and author and editor of several books, including Sex without Consent: Rape and Sexual Coercion in America (2001).

Review :
In an exceptional encyclopedia, Smith has created an invaluable, highly accessible guide to terminology, history, and current issues surrounding rape. The alphabetically arranged entries cover the physiological, political, and psychological aspects of rape, and supply biographical sketches of notorious rapists and their victims from ancient times to the present. The language used is at times graphic, and by its nature the volume is intended for adult readers, but entries are written with an unflinching regard for facts, avoiding sensationalism….Users at all levels will find this volume a useful resource for scholarly information on recent high-profile rape cases, and it will also serve as an entry point for further research on rape and its subtopics. Highly recommended. General and academic readers. This carefully researched work will serve as an excellent introduction to the subject for an student. Highly recommended for public, college, and high school libraries. The authors' straightforward writing styles contribute greatly to the success of this resource. The one- to two-page entries are written with high-school and college students as well as general readers in mind. Each entry provides a basic overview that often includes references to historical events or people, legislation, or other issues explored in the book. Numerous cross-references, in bold type, supply links to other topics that may be of interest….The ^IEncyclopedia of Rape^R is an excellent general overview of various topics relating to rape. Highly recommended for public, academic, and high-school libraries. This useful guide is highly relevant to public and academic libraries. This timely and useful--though disturbing--volume should have a place in all libraries concerned with women's and criminal justice issues. Any college-level collection strong in social issues or women's issues will want to include the invaluable ^IEncyclopedia of Rape^R in their collection.