Vigilante Gender Violence : Social Class, the Gender Bargain, and Mob Attacks on Women Worldwide

"In recent years, mob attacks on women by men have drawn public attention to an emerging social phenomenon. This book draws upon concepts from critical race theory and sociocultural evolutionary theory to examine this specific form of gender violence, which takes place outside the law and is a vigilante form of enforcing traditional gender norms. The author positions vigilante gender violence as a global issue produced during specific periods of sociocultural change in conditions marked by intensified social stratification. The catalyst for vigilante gender violence is the formal state's breaching of the "gender bargain," the tacit psychological wage even non-elite men earn by at least not being female. When the state threatens to end the gender bargain by promoting women's rights, the die is cast for low-status men to enforce this bargain themselves in mob attacks against women who are perceived to be violating the patriarchal order. Seen through independent case studies in different national settings, this book provides empirical evidence that demonstrates the existence of vigilante gender violence in times when societies are shifting from one phase to another and the social hierarchies present within are disrupted. With greater understanding of when and how to predict the occurrence of this phenomenon, the author posits notable ways to prevent it from happening altogether."--Back cover Cover Endorsement Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of contents Preface and Acknowledgments Part I Vigilante Gender Violence Chapter 1 Defining the Problem: Vigilante Gender Violence and its Global Reach References Chapter 2 Explaining how Social Change Leads to Vigilante Gender Violence: The ‘Gender Bargain,’ Social Class ... Lenski: Society in Stages Great Britain: A Case Study of the Trajectory of Gender Inequality Transition Periods and Vigilante Gender Violence Defining Gender Inequality Sexual Dimorphism Polygyny Property Rights The Big Picture References Part II Case Studies Chapter 3 Papua New Guinea: Hunter-Gatherers, Witch Burning, and the Implications of Colonization for Vigilante Gender ... Traditional Modes of Production in Papua New Guinea History of Colonization Effect of Modernization on Social Structure Increased Social Stratification Jelasy and the Role of Women in Traditional Society Vigilante Gender Violence as a Result of Jelasy Gang Rape Mob Torture and Burning of Witches Two Case Studies: Helen Rumbali and Kepari Leniata Addressing the Problem References Chapter 4 Afghanistan: Horticulturalists, Pastoralists, and Social Change at the Point of a Gun References Chapter 5 South Africa: ‘Corrective Rape’ amid Extreme Income Inequality Roots of Social Stratification The Ending of the Gender Bargain Legal Same-Sex Marriage Corrective Rape The Future for Lesbian Women and Vigilante Gender Violence in South Africa References Chapter 6 The United States Incels, Social Stratification, and Virtual Vigilante Gender Violence in the Postindustrial Present How Postindustrial Societies Began Gender Inequality in Postindustrial Societies Variation in Gender Inequality between Postindustrial Societies: The Role of Social Stratification Vigilante Gender Violence in Postindustrial Societies Men’s Rights Activists Men Going Their Own Way Proud Boys #GamerGate Vigilantes Pickup Artists Incels What’s Social Stratification Got To Do With It? References Part III Where We Go From Here Chapter 7 Predicting Vigilante Gender Violence: Can We See the Problem Coming? China Malaysia Russia Honduras Bolivia Brazil Chile Central African Republic Somalia India Saudi Arabia Other Nations that are Breaching the Gender Bargain but have Low Social Class Stratification Toward a Typology of Nations and Vigilante Gender Violence References Chapter 8 Preventing Vigilante Gender Violence: What Can We Do? Redistributive Policies Universal Basic Income Investment in the Social Safety Net and Public Infrastructure Heavy Taxation of the Wealthy Collection of Data A Vigilante Gender Violence Database for the Twenty-first Century References Index This book examines gender violence from a historical comparative lens, drawing upon concepts from critical race theory and sociocultural evolutionary theory. Specifically, it delves deep into vigilante forms of gender violence, and positions these acts in periods of specific periods of change and intense social stratification.