Sexual violence in the 'manosphere': Antifeminist men's rights discourses on rape

This paper explores the role that men's rights activism (MRA) is playing in a contemporary backlash to feminist anti-rape activism. We engage in a discourse analysis of popular MRA websites to reveal a set of interrelated claims, including: that sexual violence, like domestic violence, is a gen...

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Published in:International journal for crime, justice and social democracy Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 65 - 80
Main Authors: Gotell, Lise, Dutton, Emily
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Brisbane, QLD Queensland University of Technology. Crime and Justice Research Centre 01.01.2016
Queensland University of Technology
Subjects:
Activism
Anti-rape movement
antifeminism
backlash
Civil rights
Discourse analysis
Discourses
Domestic violence
False allegations
Fathers
Feminism
Gender
Gender roles
Men
Men's movement
men’s rights activism
Moral panic
Political aspects
Rape
Rape culture
Rights
Sex crimes
Sexual assault
Sexual violence
Victimization
Young men
ISSN:2202-8005, 2202-7998, 2202-8005
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This paper explores the role that men's rights activism (MRA) is playing in a contemporary backlash to feminist anti-rape activism. We engage in a discourse analysis of popular MRA websites to reveal a set of interrelated claims, including: that sexual violence, like domestic violence, is a gender-neutral problem; that feminists are responsible for erasing men's experiences of victimization; that false allegations are widespread; and that rape culture is a feminist-produced moral panic. We argue that sexual violence is emerging as a new focus of the men's rights movement, competing with a longstanding emphasis on fathers' rights. The subject of MRA activism has shifted and is becoming less familial and more sexual. MRAs appear to be using the issue of rape to mobilize young men and to exploit their anxieties about shifting consent standards and changing gender norms.
Bibliography:International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2016, [65]-80
Informit, Melbourne (Vic)
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:2202-8005
2202-7998
2202-8005
DOI:10.5204/ijcjsd.v5i2.310