Carnal Knowledge

Sue Lees has spent the last four years conducting three separate pieces of research into rape and sexual assault in Britain. Drawing on unique data on rape trials, police records of reported rape and sexual assault, and detailed questionnaires filled in by women who have been raped describing their assailants, Lees comes to the conclusion that the motivation for rape is not passion but rather sadistic, dominating, aggressive or even murderous intention. This book proposes that an understanding of sexual violence requires an analysis of the relations between social control mechanisms, hegemonic masculinity and socio-economical factors. It argues that the confusions and controversies around feminist thinking on the subject do not necessarily help understanding of the issues.