The Spectacle of Violence: Homophobia, Gender and Knowledge (Writing Corporealities) - Softcover

..."grippping and enlightening.." -"Out "Drawing on diverse thinkers, Gail Mason both explores violence as a prism which refracts all our experiences and subjectivities, and offers accounts of lesbian resistance. Accessibly written yet theoretically sophisticated, The Spectacle of Violence is an innovative and important contribution to lesbian lives and theories.." -Ruthann Robson, City University of New York School of Law "A pioneering study of violence: its nature, form, and effects. Gail Mason draws upon feminist scholarship, post-structural theory, and critical legal scholarship to develop new insights into violence. The Spectacle of Violence is a rich and accessibly-written study that should attract a wide international audience.." -Leslie Moran, Birkbeck College ..."a series of well-written. partially autonomous, essays on feminist theory, prompted by women's stories of violence. Each chapter lays out the issues and the theoretical debates clearly, and will be useful for undergraduate and graduate teaching "Australian Feminist "Studies 2003."

Drawing on in-depth interviews with women reflecting a range of experiences of verbal hostility, physical violence and sexual violence, Spectacle of Violence explores the issues surrounding violence and hostility towards lesbians and gay men.

Challenging current thinking, Gail Mason highlights the ways in which different identities, bodes and systems of through interact, and asks fundamental questions:

* Where does violence come from?
* What effects does it have?
* How do lesbians and gay men manage the risk of violence?
* What is the relationship between violence and power?

She argues for the importance of thinking about homophobic violence in the context of other core issues such as gender and race.

Focusing on 'real life' experiences of violence, The Spectacle of Violence is an important contribution to current thought about violence. Moving beyond issues of causation and prevention, it offers new ways of theorizing the relationship between identity, knowledge and power.