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Narrating the Moral Geography of Rape in Swedish Newspapers

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Rape Narratives in Motion

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

Abstract

In the master narrative of rape some women’s testimonies of sexual violence become particularly tainted with doubt and disbelief. Conversely, only some men’s sexually violent acts are unconditionally marked by guilt and blame. The chapter stresses the spatial dimension of this master narrative of rape. With an analysis of two hyper-medialised Swedish gang rape cases, it is highlighted how a moral geography is evoked in news narratives of rape. More specifically, it is argued that location, and narratives of women and men crossing boundaries, walking in line, being in place or invading space are used as proxy for the socio-spatial dimensions of power and morality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Gabriella Nilsson

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  1. Gabriella Nilsson
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Correspondence to Gabriella Nilsson .

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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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Nilsson, G. (2019). Narrating the Moral Geography of Rape in Swedish Newspapers. 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_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13852-3_6

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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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