Encyclopedia of Rape

Encyclopedia of Rape MERRIL D. SMITH Editor GREENWOOD PRESS Encyclopedia of Rape Advisory Board Julie Campbell-Ruggaard Psychologist, private practice Oxford, Ohio Elizabeth Reis Department of Women’s and Gender Studies University of Oregon, Eugene Rickie Solinger Independent Scholar Lake Mohonk, New York Encyclopedia of Rape Edited by MERRIL D. SMITH GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Encyclopedia of rape / edited by Merril D. Smith. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–313–32687–8 (alk. paper) 1. Rape—encyclopedias. I. Smith, Merril D., 1956– HV6558.E53 2004 362.883'03—dc22 2004044213 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright ᭧ 2004 by Merril D. Smith All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004044213 ISBN: 0–313–32687–8 First published in 2004 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America TM The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10987654321 Contents Preface vii Introduction ix Chronology of Selected Rape-Related Events xiii Alphabetical List of Entries xix Topical List of Entries xxiii The Encyclopedia 1 Resource Guide 273 Index 277 About the Editor and Contributors 295 Preface This book takes a new approach to the examination and understanding of an old problem: rape. The subject of rape encompasses much more than the actual physical act. There are the people involved; times and places in which rapes have taken place; laws and customs regarding rape; movements against it; art, literature, and other cultural depictions of rape; and social and political events concerning it. The format of an encyclopedia is especially effective for covering this topic because readers can look at the specific entry or entries that interest them, as well as reading further in related entries. The volume is aimed at general readers and students who desire to learn about rape and rape-related issues. For those who want additional information, there is suggested reading listed under each entry. Additional information can be obtained from the list of resources at the end of the volume. For two years, 79 scholars from all over the world and from a wide variety of fields—the humanities, social sciences, and medicine—have gathered information and written articles on a variety of topics concerning rape for this project. There are 186 entries in this encyclopedia. The coverage provides explication and descrip- tions of key terms, concepts, organizations, incidents, institutions, laws, influential works, theories, movements, cases, and individuals associated with rape. Although it is impossible to include every item of significance to the topic in a one-volume reference book, I have tried to be as comprehensive as possible. Readers will note the emphasis in this encyclopedia is on the contemporary United States, but entries that are historically significant, as well as worldwide events and movements, have been included. The result is a volume that covers rape from antiquity to the present. Entries are listed in alphabetical order. Readers will generally find the subject listed under the most common or popular name. For example, there is an entry under the headwords “Boston Strangler” rather than under Albert DeSalvo, the man convicted of the crimes. However, readers who turn to “Albert DeSalvo” will be directed to the appropriate entry. Each narrative entry explains the term, gives an overview, and describes its sig- viii PREFACE nificance. In our rapidly changing world, new information is constantly being re- vealed, while concepts and ideas are transformed almost before our eyes. All attempts have been made to keep the entries in the volume up to date, accurate, and consistent. Each entry contains cross-references in bold type, related entries at the end, and a list of reading suggested by the author of each article. There is a chronology of key rape events, people, and places following the Introduction. The volume contains a Resource Guide of books, movies, and Websites at the end and is fully indexed. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks go to many people who helped in bringing this project to fruition. The process began when Wendi Schnaufer, one of my editors at Greenwood Press, called me to ask if I would be interested in editing this encyclopedia. She was extremely helpful in guiding me through the early stages of this work. Anne Thompson, my other editor at Greenwood, has been a careful and thoughtful reader. She’s an- swered my barrage of emails with efficiency—and sometimes just that needed bit of humor. My advisory board, Julie Campbell-Ruggaard, Elizabeth Reis, and Rickie Solinger, read and offered suggestions on entries. Julie went beyond this role to act as go-between when a contributor became ill. Thanks, Julie! I could not have completed this book without the help of the contributors who wrote entries for this volume. Some of them wrote multiple entries, and some picked up last-minute entries and delivered polished work to me in record time. I have enjoyed corresponding with all of you, and I have made some friends along the way. It is indeed helpful to have a supportive and talented family, one willing to listen to me discuss rape at the dinner table. Special thanks to Megan Smith for organizing my computer files, retyping the entries that my computer ate, and doing some proof- reading. Sheryl Smith helped me organize lists and cooked some great dinners. Doug Smith read entries, helped me with printing the manuscript, and kept the household going while I worked. Introduction Rape has always been a part of human culture. The myths of antiquity included accounts of rape; ancient societies counted rape among the crimes listed in their law codes; and even the Bible contains stories of rape. Throughout the centuries, rape has had an impact on individual women (as well as men and children of both sexes), but it has also affected the evolution and development of cultures all over the world, as women have been abducted as brides, claimed as prizes of war, and enslaved. Unfortunately, rape remains a concern of modern life. Recent headlines make this all too clear, as stories on date rape drugs, attacks by serial rapists, the molestation of children by Catholic priests, and genocidal crimes in Bosnia, Rwanda, and elsewhere pervade the media.1 The physical reality of rape has not changed over time: the penetration of a vagina, or other orifice, by a penis (or other object) without the consent of the woman or man being penetrated. What have changed over time and place are def- initions about rape, ideas, perceptions, and laws concerning it. Modern laws on sexual assault in the United States and elsewhere recognize that both women and men can be raped, that wives can be raped by their husbands, and that victims often know their attackers. Although rape survivors are still sometimes blamed for provoking their attacks, they may also find support and counseling available to them. For much of history, however, rape has been considered a crime against the woman’s father or husband, rather than a crime against the victim. In some areas of the world, that still holds true. In 2002, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that over 150 women had been sexually assaulted and about 40 women had been killed in “honor killings” in southern Punjab.2 Within the United States, rape is all too common, but it remains an underreported crime, since many victims cannot or do not press charges against their attackers. However, in the last few decades, reforms in rape laws have made the process somewhat easier for victims. For example, before the 1970s, rape shield laws and the category of spousal rape did not exist.3 The alteration of rape laws within the United States, as well as many other coun- x INTRODUCTION tries, reflects changing ideas about gender and sexuality, as well as redefinitions of rape itself. The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s helped to spur along these changes, as many feminists asserted that rape is a crime of violence that threat- ens all women. In her influential 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape, Susan Brownmiller argued that rape is “nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.”4 Against Our Will was the first major history of rape. Since its publication, scholarly interest in rape, the study of rape, and the history of rape has grown tremendously. Yet stigmas against discussing rape and stigmas against rape victims remain. The topic still elicits smirks and innuendo, or religious or moral pronouncements, while actual cases often get bogged down in accounts of “he said/she said.” Legal scholar Leslie Francis notes, “Rape is criminal. Rape is gendered. Rape is sexual. In yet another three-word sentence, rape is controversial.”5 But rape is controversial pre- cisely because it is a crime that involves sex acts. At the same time, today there seems to be more freedom to discuss both rape and its effects on victims and survivors. Several survivors of rape have published stories of their ordeals within the last few years. In 2003, for example, Trisha Meili, who previously had been known only as the Central Park Jogger, published an account detailing her experiences since her 1989 attack.6 Within the United States, the history of rape is tangled with and connected to race.

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