Rape Fantasies: Rape Culture and the Persistence of Sexual Violence

Author/Contributor(s):	Kessel, Alisa
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date:	09/01/2025
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

In Rape Fantasies, Alisa Kessel makes the case that to prevent sexual violence in the US and elsewhere, we must confront rape as a crime that is not born of natural sexual appetites, simple miscommunication, or ethical breach. In a rape culture, sexual violence is an essential political tactic to preserve--and, oftentimes, to embolden--hierarchies of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Moving beyond a gender-centered account of rape culture, Kessel provides an intersectional reconceptualization that reveals how rape culture evolves and expands to discipline any group that threatens the sociopolitical order.