Publications

SHaME's Associate Fellow Dr Stephanie Wright and Director Dr Ruth Beecher present a special issue of Women's History Review aimed at historicising the perpetrators of sexual violence from a global perspective.

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. 

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 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.

On October 7th, SHaME will be celebrating the release of Professor Joanna Bourke's new book, Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence, published by Reaktion Books. Joanna will be joined by Jude Kelly CBE, Marai Larasi, Dr Rhea Sookdeosingh, and Maisha Sumah in a conversation between artists, activists and academics on boundary-crossing global approaches to creating a rape free world.

SHaME was honoured to host the official book launch of author, activist, survivor and academic Winnie M Li’s second novel, ‘Complicit’ (Orion). Winnie was joined in conversation by Prof Joanna Bourke and guests Marai Larasi, Prof Liz Kelly, Rowena Chiu, and Dr Katherine Angel.

On 13th July 2022, SHaME hosted the official book launch of Dr Charlie Jeffries' book, Teenage Dreams: Girlhood Sexualities in the US Culture Wars (Rutgers University Press, 2022). Charlie was joined by SHaME's Prof Joanna Bourke for a short reading and discussion of what this book can tell us about the race- and class-inflected battles over adolescent women’s sexual and reproductive lives.

SHaME's Allison McKibban interviews SHaME's Dr Charlie Jeffries about her first monograph 'Teenage Dreams: Girlhood Sexualities in the US Culture Wars' ahead of the July 13th launch event.

On 28 April 2022, SHaME presented the official book launch of Associate Prof Sameena Mulla and Associate Prof Heather Hlavka's 'Bodies in Evidence: Race, Gender, and Science in Sexual Assault Adjudication' (New York University Press). Heather and Sameena were joined in conversation by host Prof Joanna Bourke and guests Assistant Prof April Petillo, Dr Gethin Rees, and Prof M Gabriela Torres.

Professor Joanna Bourke reviews Associate Professor Sameena Mulla and Associate Professor Heather Hlavka's forthcoming book 'Bodies in Evidence: Race, Gender, and Science in Sexual Assault Adjudication' ahead of the April 28th launch event.