Violence against Women

Claire M. Renzetti is professor of sociology at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She is editor of the international, interdisciplinary journal Violence Against Women and co-editor of Sage Publications' Violence Against Women book series. She is the author or editor of sixteen books and is active in several national and regional professional associations, including the Society for the Study of Social Problems, where she has held the offices of vice president and president. Raquel Kennedy Bergen is associate professor and chair of sociology at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She is also a crisis counselor for battered and sexually abused women. Her current research examines husband-rapists' motivations for rape, the role of pornography in sexual violence against women, and sexual violence against pregnant women.

Violence Against Women is a rich collection of articles that covers a variety of themes related to the history, major issues, theories, and methods of this area of study … demonstrating the creativity and ingenuity that is necessary to present a complete and comprehensive view of this problem … Professors looking for a text on violence and women should give this volume serious consideration.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: The Emergence of Violence against Women as a Social ProblemPart 2 Part I: Forms of Violence against WomenChapter 3 "Riding the Bull at Gilley's": Convicted Rapists Describe the Rewards of RapeChapter 4 The Myth of Sexual Symmetry in Marital ViolenceChapter 5 Safe Conduct: Women, Crime, and Self in Public PlacesChapter 6 On Being StalkedChapter 7 The Locker Room and the Dorm Room: Workplace Norms and the Boundaries of Sexual Harassment in Magazine EditingPart 8 Part II: Institutional Responses to Violence against WomenChapter 9 Prosecutorial Justifications for Sexual Assault Case Rejection: Guarding the "Gateway to Justice"Chapter 10 Gender, Accounts, and Rape Processing WorkChapter 11 Policing Woman BatteringChapter 12 Emergency Department Responses to Battered Women: Resistance to MedicalizationChapter 13 The Social Construction of Deviance: Experts on Battered WomenPart 14 Part III: Feminist Activism and Social ChangeChapter 15 The Battered Woman Movement and the Creation of the Wife Beating ProblemChapter 16 Identity, Strategy, and Feminist Politics: Clemency for Battered Women Who Kill