Abstract:
This article uses the empirical fact of woman-to-woman rape as a lens to
critique Sharon Marcus’s ‘‘Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A Theory and Politics
of Rape Prevention.’’ To the extent that any theory forecloses this fact, we can
assume it is erroneous. While Marcus’s work is promising in its intention to
deconstruct binary views of gender, it largely reiterates the very dualism it seeks to
destabilize. I explore two different deconstructive arguments that can be drawn from
the piece, each of which has been adopted by some thinkers. The first forecloses
woman-to-woman rape while the second makes theoretical room for it. The second
argument has the potential to deconstruct the first. Following the logic of Judith
Butler’s thoughts on gender transgression, I suggest a synthesis of these two
arguments. Finally, I explore ways the self-defense strategies Marcus p