Ulrika Andersson
Professor
Vulnerability, agency and the ambivalence of place in narratives of rape in three high-profile Swedish cases
Författare
Summary, in English
For decades, the media have frequently been instrumental in framing rape cases by linking the deed with the place. This study demonstrates that law courts are not innocent of such social framing; on the contrary, they are significant agents. We argue that courts, by shaping the plot in rape cases, participate in an ongoing cultural production of meaning, although in a more subtle and ambivalent way than the media. In a narrative analysis of three contemporary rape cases in Sweden, we bring together feminist research on place with the concepts of vulnerability and agency. We argue that place is framed as ambivalent in relation to vulnerability and agency and dependent on the positioning of the plaintiff and the defendant. In court narratives geographical places are made relevant, including the locations where the alleged rapes took place. Court narratives of rape include highly ambivalent connotations to place in relation to vulnerability and agency, distinguished by different narratives and outcomes in the various instances. The legal and social implications of our work should include an awareness of the relevance of place in relation to rape.
Avdelning/ar
- Rätt och utsatthet
- Mänskliga rättigheter
- Juridiska institutionen
Publiceringsår
2018-08-23
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
197-209
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research
Volym
26
Issue
3
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Taylor & Francis
Ämne
- Law
Nyckelord
- Rape
- Court narrative
- Place
- Vulnerability
- Agency
- Criminal law
- Våldtäkt
- Sårbarhet
- Straffrätt
Status
Published
Projekt
- Rape in Sweden 1990-2013. Historical and intersectional perspectives on rape in different genres
Forskningsgrupp
- Law and Vulnerabilities
- Human Rights Law
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 0803-8740