Commentary

How can historians meaningfully and ethically research past experiences of sexual violence? History Workshop Online's Dr Marybeth Hamilton and SHaME's Dr Ruth Beecher and Dr Rhian Keyse discuss the often surprising dynamics of the histories they’ve uncovered – and the strategies and supports they’ve developed for navigating their own emotions in conducting such emotionally challenging research.

What is the history of activism against sexual violence? History Workshop Online's Marybeth Hamilton and SHaME's Dr Rhea Sookdeosingh, Dr George Severs, and Allison McKibban complicate the dominant histories, strategies, narratives, and stigmas associated with sexual violence.

Child marriage is often conceived of as embedded in the past, but there is little attention to its historical context. Rhian Keyse explores how this obscures the shifting dynamics and social meanings of such practices.

When does the call for ‘speaking out’ against sexual violence begin to silence? Reflecting on the #MeToo moment, Allison McKibban argues mainstream Western movements against sexual violence are often insidiously laced with colonial violence. She calls on activists and researchers to embrace a self-reflective and decolonial listening to create a truly transformative movement against sexual violence.

SHaME Director Ruth Beecher sits down with PI Joanna Bourke to reflect on changing understandings, societal developments, and new perspectives between two of her groundbreaking works on sexual violence: Rape (2007) and Disgrace (2022).

Is the family a place of safety or a trap? SHaME Director Dr Ruth Beecher explores the institution of the family and the (lack of) recognition of child sexual abuse within it.

Dr George Severs argues that the history of male victims of rape and sexual violence should make us all alert to the ways in which gender norms silence male experiences of abuse, and prompt us to hear hear male survivors who are so often both silent and silenced.

Can medical institutions participate in colonial violence? SHaME's Allison McKibban argues the involuntary sterilization of tens of thousands of Native American women in the 1970s must be rehistoricised as part of the U.S. government’s broader campaign of genocide.

SHaME Associate Fellow Dr Stephanie Wright explores how society approaches the sexual desires of those with disabilities. She establishes how the historical lack of acknowledgement of vulnerable people's sexual autonomy can result in an increased possibility of harm. 

SHaME Public Engagement Coordinators Dr Rhea Sookdeosingh and Allison McKibban introduce (Un)Silenced, a series in collaboration with History Workshop Online, which explores how sexual violence relates to various societal institutions.

How has sexual violence been produced through different institutional cultures of harm? And what strategies have survivors used to counter silence, shame, and stigma? The SHaME team explores various forms of institutional sexual violence in a series originally published with History Workshop Online in 2022.

SHaME's Charlie Jeffries and Avni Patel chat with Thomas Andrew Faulker and Kalpana Viswnath to explore the role of design in preventing sexual harm in public and private spaces. Does it exist? If so where?

SHaME's George Severs interviews author and activist Tanaka Mhishi about his powerful book 'Sons and Others: On Loving Male Survivors' following its launch late last year.

Curator Fiona Rogers discusses the work of artist Laia Abril in the context of how gendered violence and rape appear in the canon and spaces of art history. An exhibition of Abril's work is on display at the Copeland Gallery from 10-27th November 2022.

Amongst the many risks and uncertainties brought on by an act of sexual violence is the threat of sexually transmitted infection. What are the barriers to such post-rape health care and advice? In this blog, SHaME Postdoctoral Fellow Dr George Severs reflects on a policy roundtable which considered these questions in relation to HIV.

SHaME Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Rhian Keyse discusses the recent U.S. Supreme Court leaked draft opinion, its ahistorical logic, and its implications for abortion rights in the U.S.

SHaME Public Engagement Coordinators Dr Rhea Sookdeosingh and Allison McKibban introduce (Un)Silenced, a series in collaboration with History Workshop Online, which explores how sexual violence relates to various societal institutions.

SHaME researchers Emma Yapp and Adeline Moussion share their experiences designing and facilitating the ‘Unpopular Opinions Workshop’ at the Shameless! Festival. The workshop provided a space for survivors to express their anger and frustrations, while challenging institutional and societal expectations of victimhood and survivorship.