War rape and political evil

In cases of political violence such as torture, terrorism and genocide, both men and women are victims of violence. Because of this, feminist researchers have often overlooked these topics. But attention to gender can bring important insights for understanding the situation of victims and survivors of political violence.

The work of the American philosopher Claudia Card is exceptional in this regard. Card’s book, The Atrocity Paradigm (Oxford 2002) which is the first of her trilogy of books on evil, draws on feminist methods for understanding the harms done to individuals and communities during and after genocide.

This new book of essays on Card's work highlights feminist contributions to topics of evil, political violence, and forgiveness.

Schott's article develops the distinction between the unmaking of the social world carried out by genocide- a process captured by the notion of social death- and the unmaking of the political world. She argues that enforced impregnation in war rape undermines the principle of political rights, and in this sense is a form of political evil.

Robin May Schott, “War Rape and the Political Concept of Evil” in Evil, Political Violence, and Forgiveness: Essays in Honor of Claudia Card, edited by Kathryn J. Norlock and Andrea Veltman, Lexington 2009.