Rape

This collection of essays aims to increase our understanding of rape by subjecting it to scrutiny from many different points of view. The editors bring together divergent and scattered debates about rape without trying to fabricate a consensus. Rape is seen from the perspective of evolutionary biology, as an evolved behaviour employed by men who lack other viable reproductive alternatives, and this is set alongside the view of an anthropologist who, drawing evidence from non-raping societies, argues that contrary to popular belief men are not human versions of predatory jungle beasts, and that it was heterosexual cooperation that began the "long path to humanity". A contribution on the media treatment of male-sexuality-with-violence traces the evolution of popular cultural stereotypes of the rapist, which are so different from the men who assault women in the real world. Further essays consider the problem posed by rape for any criminal justice system and explore rape in art, myth, history and political philosophy. The ambiguous legacy of Freud and psychoanalysis in understanding the hidden springs of rape is also examined.