Since the elaboration of a feminist critique of rape, the presence of debates on sexual violence in the public sphere has increased, resulting in a growing awareness and in legislative interventions. The reverberations of the social media campaign #MeToo against sexual harassment in the workplace is the most recent example of the new challenges that feminist activism has imposed on the patriarchal order of concealment of gender-based violence. Despite the present visibility of the phenomenon, sexual violence continues to be a major social issue affecting women and, to a lesser extent, men in the Global North as well as in the Global South. What is more, new forms of sexual violence related to the widespread use of new media have been newly identified. These include revenge porn and virtual sexual assault.
The workshop adopts a comparative approach, exploring persistent forms of sexual abuse and their portrayal in cultural forms and the media throughout history by creating a platform for discussion and knowledge exchange between scholars working in social sciences, law, and humanities.
Keynote speaker: Prof Linda Connolly (Maynooth University)
Speakers: Dr Caroline Forde (NUI Galway), Dr Theresa O’Keefe (University College Cork), Dr Gillian Whylie (Trinity College Dublin)