[A] monumental feat of research and an act of political scrutiny at its most far-reaching. From India to Haiti, from Abu Ghraib to Namibia, Bourke trails the cruel incidence of rape across the globe� Disgrace will become required reading for anyone seeking to put rape at the forefront of the struggle to make the world a better and safer place.��Jacqueline Rose, author of On Violence Against Women This unprecedented study of rape culture explores how sexual violence varies widely across time and place, from nineteenth-century peasant women in Ireland who were abducted as a way of forcing marriage, to date-raped high-school students in twentieth-century America; and from girls and women violated by Russian soldiers in 1945, to Dalit women raped by men of higher castes today. The book delves into the factors that facilitate violence� including institutions, ideologies, and practices�but also gives voice to survivors and activists, drawing inspiration from their struggles. Ultimately, Joanna Bourke intends to forge a transnational feminism that will promote a more harmonious, equal and rape- and violence-free world. �Across geographies, cultures, and eras, the reality of sexual violence has always served as a sobering reminder of humanity�s flaws and cruelties. Here is an eye-opening book to help us understand that reality more fully�and to help us envision a future free of rape.��Winnie M Li, activist, rape survivor, and author of Dark Chapter and Complicit
