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Conditional Vulnerability: Rape Narratives in Swedish Courts, 1990–2014

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Rape Narratives in Motion

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture ((PSCMC))

Abstract

Edgren investigates five written rape narratives from Swedish trial judgements from a period in which rape laws were amended several times. She regards court narratives as cultural texts. Although lower and appellate courts often delivered different rulings, those rulings tended to demonstrate that vulnerability is conditional. In general, a sign of agency, such as a woman’s prior consent to sexual activity, counteracts the recognition of vulnerability. The courts use different narrative “glue” to merge events, creating a dichotomous relation between vulnerability and agency. Individuals are only seen as vulnerable when their agency is dissociated from structural conditions. Producing the body in binaries—victim/agent—is not in accord with a (gender) egalitarian policy such as Sweden is often assumed to have.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

    Monika Edgren

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  1. Monika Edgren
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Correspondence to Monika Edgren .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Ulrika Andersson

  2. Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

    Monika Edgren

  3. Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Lena Karlsson

  4. Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Gabriella Nilsson

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Edgren, M. (2019). Conditional Vulnerability: Rape Narratives in Swedish Courts, 1990–2014. In: Andersson, U., Edgren, M., Karlsson, L., Nilsson, G. (eds) Rape Narratives in Motion. Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13852-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13852-3_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-13851-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-13852-3

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