A Most Detestable Crime

"This collection of original essays by leading philosophers investigates the philosophical dimensions of rape in all of its manifestations: act, crime, practice, and institution. The essays examine such issues as the nature of rape; the wrongfulness and harmfulness of rape; the relation of rape to racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of oppression; and the legitimacy of various rape-law doctrines (such as the corroboration requirement, the marital-rape exemption, and the reasonable-belief defense).

Each contributor advances a novel argument and seeks to disentangle the conceptual, evaluative, and empirical issues that arise in connection with the crime. It is an essential reference work not only for legal and feminist philosophers, but for feminist scholars and practitioners in every field, including law, medicine, social work, and counseling. This volume will also be of interest to social, political, and legal theorists of every ideological and methodological persuasion."--BOOK JACKET.