Sex and Violence in 1920S Scotland

Sex and Violence in 1920S Scotland Incest, Rape, Lewd and Libidinous Practices, 1918-1930 - History of Crime, Deviance and Punishment

Paperback (17 Apr 2025)

  • $39.53
Pre-order

Includes delivery to the United States

Publisher's Synopsis

Using case records of prosecutions at the Scottish High Court of Justiciary between 1918 and 1930, this book takes a quantitative and qualitative approach to understand sexual violence in Scotland at this time. Analysing legal records alongside victim and witness testimonies, Louise Heren analyses who committed sexual violence against whom, where and how and, to an extent, looks to uncover the victims' voice.

Assessing how the courts responded, Sex and Violence in 1920s Scotland reveals that, despite pejorative views of working-class female behaviour, the successful conversion of prosecutions to convictions was greater than what is seen in modern sexual assault cases. In a society adjusting to post-conflict stresses, there were fears expressed in middle-class circles that those most affected by the First World War might react with violence. However, the High Court archives suggest otherwise. Cases of incest, rape and sexual assault appears to have been endemic, an opportunistic crime against older victims yet often pre-meditated against the youngest; selfish crimes that suggest toxic masculinity among some working-class men. The book concludes with the ultimate question: why did these men perpetrate sexual violence?

Book information

ISBN: 9781350227811
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Pub date:
Language: English
Number of pages: 272
Weight: 454g
Height: 234mm
Width: 156mm
Spine width: 25mm