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Defining the Field

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From Fritzl to #metoo

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality ((PSLGS))

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Abstract

In this chapter, I will provide a discussion of what constitutes sexual violence from a feminist, rather than legal, perspective. In the first part of the chapter, based on what previous studies on the topic have unveiled, I will outline some of the most pervasive rape myths, and how these are often used in the news to construct dominant rape narratives. The second part of the chapter will be dedicated to presenting the value of sexual violence to news media and how this is discursively constructed, rather than inherent. This will then lead into a broader discussion of discourse and the role of the media in maintaining the status quo.

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  1. School of Languages and Applied Linguistics, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK

    Alessia Tranchese

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Tranchese, A. (2023). Defining the Field. In: From Fritzl to #metoo. Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09353-1_2

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