Commentary on the Book Entitled Sexual Violence Against Children in Britain Since 1965: Trailing Abuse by Nick Basannavar. Palgrave Macmillan. 2021. ISBN 978-3-030-83147-9

This Commentary is a subjective personal appraisal of the book in question rather than an objective Review. The rationale for this approach is presented. The author of the book engages with a series of “landscapes”, real and metaphorical, in his quest to “trail” child sexual abuse (CSA) in Britain o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexuality & culture 2024-04, Vol.28 (2), p.918-928
Main Author: O’Carroll, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child sexual abuse
Children
Commentary
Criminology
Cultural history
Family research
History
Interdisciplinary aspects
Mass media
Media studies
Pedophilia
Personality and Social Psychology
Psychology
Regional and Cultural Studies
Sex crimes
Sexual abuse
Sexuality
Social Sciences
Sociology
Taboos
Violence
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:This Commentary is a subjective personal appraisal of the book in question rather than an objective Review. The rationale for this approach is presented. The author of the book engages with a series of “landscapes”, real and metaphorical, in his quest to “trail” child sexual abuse (CSA) in Britain over the last half century and more in its material reality and its representation in public discourse. It is an interdisciplinary work intended to sit at the intersection of diverse research areas: sexual violence; the history of sexuality; social and cultural history; media history and media studies; medicine and psychiatry; sociology and policy; criminology, law and sexual offending; childhood and family studies. Despite the titular focus on “sexual violence” against children, no definition of the term is offered in the book. It is a critical omission, with major ramifications, from a work that is otherwise studiously attentive to the changing language through which taboo acts of sexual engagement with children have been conceived and represented in media and other public discourse. The author’s use of the “sexual violence” concept is vigorously contested.
ISSN:1095-5143
1936-4822
DOI:10.1007/s12119-023-10135-6