Final Call for Papers: 'Rape and its Meaning/s'

Final Call for Papers: 'Rape and its Meaning/s'

Special edition of *Philosophical Papers*
Guest editor: Louise du Toit (University of Johannesburg)
Expected contributors include: Susan Brison, Ann Cahill, and Seriol Morgan.

The topic of rape has not received the kind of deep and sustained attention
from philosophers that it warrants. However, during the past three decades
the trickle of papers, book collections, and monographs has steadily
increased. Notable among these works are those written by women who were
victims of rape, including Susan Brison's "Aftermath: Violence and the
Remaking of a Self" (2002), which explores rape from the perspective of
someone who is both a victim and a professional philosopher. These latter
contributions-as well as others-are important in that they focus on the
meaning or meanings of rape.

The aim of this special issue of Philosophical Papers is to consider the
possible meanings of rape, and to better illuminate the damage of rape in
the light of such meanings. Discussions can approach the topic from any of a
range of angles, including the personal, political, legal, socio-symbolic,
literary, or religious. We are interested in any approach that clarifies the
significance of the phenomenon of rape.

Possible questions for discussion include:
--Should we seek for rape's meaning in the intentions of the rapist or in the
experiences of the victim, or in both?
--What types of damage does rape cause?
--To what extent does rape have political significance?
--Does rape have different meanings in different contexts or socio-political
dispensations? Does rape in war have different meanings from rape in peace
time?
--To what extent does the law determine rape's social meaning?
--What role does culture and religion play in the meaning of rape?
--Does the meaning of rape change when the victim is a child? When the victim
is male?
--What is the relationship between the meaning of rape and the meaning of sex?
--How does the absence of consent in rape relate to its meaning?

The deadline for receipt of submissions is 30 June 2009. This issue of
Philosophical Papers, comprising both invited and submitted articles, will
appear in November 2009.

Authors should submit manuscripts electronically, as a pdf- or word-document
attachment, to <Philosophical.Papers@ru.ac.za Philosophical.Papers@ru.ac.za>>. Authors must include their
full name, affiliation, and address for e-mail correspondence with their
submission.

Further enquiries may be addressed to Louise du Toit (louisedt@uj.ac.za louisedt@uj.ac.za>) or
Ward Jones, Editor, *Philosophical Papers* (w.jones@ru.ac.za w.jones@ru.ac.za>).