Book Review: Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrator Rape: A Multidisciplinary Response to an International Problem
| Published date | 01 September 2014 |
| Date | 01 September 2014 |
| Author | Vanessa E Munro |
| DOI | 10.1177/0964663914538583 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Social & Legal Studies
2014, Vol. 23(3) 469–483
Book Reviews
ª The Author(s) 2014
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0964663914538583
sls.sagepub.com
MIRANDA AH HORVATH AND JESSICA WOODHAMS, Handbook on the Study of Multiple Per-
petrator Rape: A Multidisciplinary Response to an International Problem. London: Routledge, 2013,
320 pp. ISBN 9780415500449, £95 (hbk).
Not without good reason, the topic of rape – its prevalence, typical characteristics, varied
impact upon victims, links to other forms of sexual violence/violent sexuality, and its
handling throughout the criminal justice system – has been the focus of prolonged, and
most often critical, attention by lawyers and social scientists alike. It can be a challenge
in this context to conduct research that genuinely adds a new dimension to pre-existing
debates. Yet, this is precisely what Horvath and Woodhams have successfully done with
their recent co-edited collection entitled ‘Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrator
Rape’. This is a book that, without in any way diminishing the seriousness of rapes per-
petrated by sole individuals, compels the reader to question why, when so much anecdo-
tal evidence abounds regarding the existence of group-perpetrated rape, so little
systematic research and policy attention has been dedicated to exploring its unique and
often complex dynamics as well as its striking parallels and resonances with other forms
of sexual assault.
Notwithstanding some no doubt careful editorial involvement in ensuring their inter-
nal coherence, Horvath and Woodhams have largely allowed the various contributors in
this collection to define their own terminology, parameters and methods. This has gen-
erated a series of 13 substantive chapters (plus an introductory and ‘next steps’ conclud-
ing commentary by the editors) that reflect a diversity of disciplinary perspectives
(ranging from psychology to criminology, public health to political science) as well as
a...
To continue reading
Request your trial