Description
Book SynopsisWhy is it that men and boys have been and still are violated in human conflict, be it in conventional war, insurgencies or periods of civil and ethnic strife? Above all, why, throughout history, have victims, perpetrators and society as a whole refused to acknowledge this violation, and why do episodes of male-on-male rape and sexual abuse feature so rarely in accounts of war, be they official histories, eye-witness ac- counts or popular narratives? Is there more to this elision of memory than simply shame? Is there more to it than the victor's desire to violate the enemy body? Amalendu Misra's startlingly original re- search into male sexual violence explores the meaning and role of the male body prior to its abuse and how it is altered by violation in war- time. He examines the bio-political contexts of conflict in which primarily men and occasion- ally women sexually violate men; he details the inadequate legal safeguards for survivors of such events; and in unearthing and analysing an ignored aspect of war, he inquires whether such violence can ever be deterred.
Trade Review'Sexual violence against boys and men in times of armed conflict has too often been ignored or relegated to a dismissive footnote. Misra's book changes everything. The effect of his vivid and forensic exploration of male-on-male sexual violence is stunning. This is a "must read" for anyone interested in rape, sexuality, violence and the vulnerable body.' -- Joanna Bourke, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, and author of Rape: A History from 1860 to the Present;
'Landscapes of Silence is excellent. Lucid and theoretically rich, and drawing on evidence that spans historical, cultural and geographical space, the book is the first extended analysis of the rape of men in war. An important contribution to the literature of critical security studies, Misra's book should be essential reading for any student or practitioner of war.' * Karin Fierke, Professor of International Relations, St Andrews University, and author of Political Self Sacrifice: Agency, Body and Emotion in International Relations *
