Rupal Oza, "Semiotics of Rape: Sexual Subjectivity and Violation in Rural India" (Duke UP, 2022)
In\xa0Semiotics of Rape: Sexual Subjectivity and Violation in Rural India\xa0(Duke UP, 2022), Rupal Oza follows the social life of rape in rural northwest India to reveal how rape is not only a violation of the body but a language through which a range of issues\u2014including caste and gender hierarchies, control over land and labor, and the shape of justice\u2014are contested. Rather than focus on the laws governing rape, Oza closely examines rape charges to show how the victims and survivors of rape reclaim their autonomy by refusing to see themselves as defined entirely by the act of violation. Oza also shows how rape cases become arenas where bureaucrats, village council members, caste communities, and the police debate women\u2019s sexual subjectivities and how those varied understandings impact the status and reputations of individuals and groups. In this way, rape gains meaning beyond the level of the survivor and victim to create a social category. By tracing the shifting meanings of sexual violence and justice, Oza offers insights into the social significance of rape in India and beyond.\nIqra Shagufta Cheema\xa0writes and teaches in the areas of media cultures, postcolonial literatures, transnational feminisms, gender and sexuality studies, and global south film studies. Check out her upcoming books:\xa0The Other #MeToos\xa0and\xa0ReFocus: The Films of Annemarie Jacir. Follow her on\xa0Twitter\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law