Evolution, Gender, and Rape [Paperback]

Cheryl Brown Travis (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 2003

Are women and men biologically destined to be in perpetual conflict? Does evolutionary genetics adequately explain sexual aggression? Such questions have been much debated in both the media and academia. In particular, the notion that rape is an evolutionary adaptation, put forth by Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer in their book A Natural History of Rape (MIT Press, 2000), vaulted the debate into national prominence. This book assesses Thornhill and Palmer's ideas, as well as the critical responses to their work. Drawing on theory and data from anthropology, behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, primatology, psychology, and sociology, the essays explain the flaws and limitations of a strictly biological model of rape. They argue that traditionally stereotyped gender roles are grounded more in culture than in differing biological reproductive roles.The book is divided into three parts. The first part, "Evolutionary Models and Gender," addresses broad theoretical and methodological issues of evolutionary theory and sociobiology. Part 2, "Critiquing Evolutionary Models of Rape," addresses specific propositions of Thornhill and Palmer, making explicit their unexamined assumptions and challenging the scientific bases for their conclusions. It also considers other studies on biological gender differences. Part 3, "Integrative Cultural Models of Gender and Rape," offers alternative models of rape, which incorporate psychology and cultural systems, as well as a broader interpretation of evolutionary theory.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Leading a group of determined scholars, Travis-professor of psychology and chair of women's studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville-conducts a comprehensive refutation of A Natural History of Rape by biologist Randy Thornhill and anthropologist Craig T. Palmer (2000), which proposed that men are biologically predisposed to raping women because (in our evolutionary past) the act supposedly increased men's chances of reproducing. Contributors to this book regard the duo as evolutionary psychologists who practice unsound, narrow-minded science. The critiques aimed at Thornhill and Palmer include their dismissal of feminist arguments that rape has as much to do with dominance as it does with sex, their refusal to seriously account for sociocultural factors that affect rape rates, their use of data on scorpion-fly mating as correlational to human behavior and their lack of data comparing the reproductive success of rapists to nonrapists. Some of the thinkers offer compelling alternatives. One research team offers the theory that forces in family structures, school, work and the individual interconnect to shape rape's incidence. Most of the contributors write for fellow academics, though "Of Vice and Men: A Case Study of Evolutionary Psychology" is accessible, and "What Is `Rape'?: Toward a Historical, Ethnographic Approach" shows in clear language how biases can shape scientific observation. Even evolutionary straw mama "Primeval Pru" makes an appearance, with her perennial dilemma over choosing a suitable mate. Though the book is separated into 17 distinct sections, there's plenty of overlap in contributors' critiques, which highlights the collection's message that rape is a phenomenon that requires an interdisciplinary approach. Yet while contributors argue that media coverage of A Natural History exploited the public's desire for easy answers to abhorrent social behavior, too much of their own prose here is intimidating and unwieldy.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"I would not have anticipated that anything good could come from the notorious recent attempts by so-called evolutionary psychology to understand human rape. But perhaps every cloud does have a silver lining. This book not only says exactly what is wrong with the crudely biological approach to rape, but also provides a wealth of real information about rape, evolution, and a good deal else besides. If you prefer complex insights to sound bites, this is a book you will want to read."--John Dupre, Director, ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society, University of Exeter

?A comprehensive refutation of A Natural History of Rape.? Publisher's Weekly

"A comprehensive refutation of A Natural History of Rape." Publisher's Weekly

"A valuable resource for anyone who is wrestling with concerns about gender dynamics, sexual aggresion, or evolutionary psychology." Joanna L. Bettmann Psychiatric Services

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: A Bradford Book (January 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262700905
• ISBN-13: 978-0262700900
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,356,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed Bag, December 14, 2006

By 

L. SAXON - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution, Gender, and Rape (Paperback)

This is a mixed bag of essays with a common focus of attack on Thornhill and Palmer's 'A Natural History of Rape'. Here and there one comes across interesting and valid comments and criticisms but some of the essays are poor or very poor. P Gowaty's essay stands out as the most interesting.

The middle section is very repetitive making the same points again and again in each essay. Michael Kimmel's essay stands out here as very emotional and self-contradictory eg he argues that human males are devoted fathers and want to be good lovers and to please women yet he also writes of locker-room talk about dating women - 'Don't stop till she hits (or hurts) you'. He confesses that virtually all men are 'failed attempted date rapists'. (As women don't often hit, and may be fearful of doing so and making the man angry, Kimmel may not have been such a failed date rapist as he remembers.) This is a very revealing essay regarding the two contradictory sides of male attitudes towards women and sex.

Overall there are a number of interesting points, a few revealing bits and plenty of poor arguments and repetition. A mixed bag that is just about worth reading.

3 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the value, October 10, 2006

By 

Martin Ahouse (Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evolution, Gender, and Rape (Paperback)

Just read the essay of J. Coyne included in this book. It is the best rebuttal of the seudoscience in sociobiological books like "A natural history of rape". And nobody can deny Coyne a deep knowledge of biology and evolution. There is much to think about the 'mumbo-jumbo' in present day biology, even in highly SCI rated journals.

10 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars political correctness is no match for evolutionary theory, June 26, 2006

By 

Nom de plume "nom de plume" (saginaw, michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evolution, Gender, and Rape (Paperback)

It is very common for males of other animal species to rape females. Mating involves little investment on the part of the male and much investment on the part of the female. As a result, males will attempt to mate much more often than females. It is a question of economics. No amount of shouting from the proactively empowered left can change the results of one billion years of contest between males and females.