Although accountability lies at the heart of the “doing gender” perspective, it has received surp... more Although accountability lies at the heart of the “doing gender” perspective, it has received surprisingly little attention from gender scholars. In this article, I analyze the different ways that scholars have conceptualized accountability. I propose a synthesis of these various understandings, and demonstrate the utility of this conceptualization with examples from my research on feminist self-defense training. This analysis sheds light on both the workings of accountability and the process of change in gender expectations and practices. I conclude by considering the implications of this reconceptualization of accountability.
Abstract Three different programs designed to increase women’s ability to recognize, avoid, and r... more Abstract Three different programs designed to increase women’s ability to recognize, avoid, and resist sexual assault have demonstrated success in reducing sexual violence in college populations. In this chapter, we describe and analyze these three programs (the Ohio University Sexual Assault Risk Reduction Program, the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act Sexual Assault Resistance Program, and the Self-Defense from the Inside Out program). After describing the history, format, and content of each program, we discuss their similarities and differences and assess how their components are related to a range of outcomes, including knowledge of effective self-defense strategies, adherence to rape myths, self and perpetrator-blame, self-defense, self-efficacy, fear, assertiveness skills, use of protective strategies, intention to use particular strategies, and sexual assault outcomes. We conclude by making recommendations for future research. Overall, there is good evidence that such programs effectively reduce the rates of sexual victimization among women when they include evidence-based content, provide opportunity for practice, and are longer than workshop length. We argue that universities must include such programs in their sexual assault prevention plans.
Abstract Empowerment self-defense (ESD), also known as feminist self-defense, is a distinctive ap... more Abstract Empowerment self-defense (ESD), also known as feminist self-defense, is a distinctive approach to women’s sexual assault resistance education, rooted in the second-wave radical feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In this chapter, I review the defining qualities, theoretical grounding, and evidence base of ESD classes. ESD classes are comprehensive, evidence-based, hold perpetrators responsible, transform understandings of women’s bodies, place violence in a social context, advocate social change goals, and empower rather than restrict women’s lives. Recent empirical evaluations have found that ESD classes reduce women’s risk of sexual assault and harassment and increase their self-confidence. Despite these promising findings, much remains to be learned about the optimal structure and timing of ESD education and the mechanisms that produce these positive effects.
Self-defense classes are offered across the nation as a strategy for reducing women’s vulnerabili... more Self-defense classes are offered across the nation as a strategy for reducing women’s vulnerability to sexual assault. Yet there has been little systematic research assessing the effectiveness of these classes. In this article, I use data from a mixed methods study of a 10-week, university-based, feminist self-defense class to examine the effectiveness of self-defense training over a 1-year follow-up period. My analyses indicate that women who participate in self-defense training are less likely to experience sexual assault and are more confident in their ability to effectively resist assault than similar women who have not taken such a class.
The authors argue that temporality is a significant dimension of social activity. The paper revie... more The authors argue that temporality is a significant dimension of social activity. The paper reviews the phenomenological experience of temporality, ways of conceptualizing time, and ways in which temporality may shape interpretation, and illustrates these themes through an empirical study in which approximately 80 subjects read and responded to one of two short stories. Themes of temporality were explored in the interview transcripts through references to temporal themes, temporality as an influence on causal and trait attributions, temporal chains, and other forms of interpretive cycles, as well as ways in which temporality is involved in the definition of other and “possible others.” On the basis of these patterns, we conclude that time is a crucial factor in shaping interpretations of social life.
In this article, the author describes an approach to teaching about violence against women that b... more In this article, the author describes an approach to teaching about violence against women that balances discussion of violence with information about women's individual and collective resistance. This strategy addresses two concerns about traditional approaches to this topic: that focusing only on victimization disempowers students and that it provides only a partial view of the reality of violence in women's lives. To address these problems, the author integrates discussion of resistance into the class's working definition of violence, assigned readings, guest speakers, and course assignments. The author concludes with a discussion of the positive effects of this approach.
Given the positive benefits of self-defense training for women, it is important to understand how... more Given the positive benefits of self-defense training for women, it is important to understand how women come to enroll in self-defense classes. Using data from a longitudinal study of university women, I explore the reasons women give for taking a self-defense class. I find that friends’ recommendations, visions of the “possible selves” they could become, and fear of violence were the most frequently reported reasons; having experienced a past assault was rarely cited as a reason for enrolling. In addition, many women who had never enrolled in a self-defense class reported having considered doing so. I explore barriers to learning self-defense and find that logistical issues such as time, money, and availability of classes were the most frequently reported reasons for not enrolling.
Teaching Gender and Sex in Contemporary America, 2016
Violence against women is increasingly the focus of public attention, and many classes on gender ... more Violence against women is increasingly the focus of public attention, and many classes on gender address this issue. The focus of such attention is often the widespread prevalence of gendered violence and the deep and lasting harm done to women by this violence. Although this reality is important, I argue in this chapter that it is equally important for students to understand the ways in which women can and do resist this violence, both individually and collectively. Simply focusing on the violence itself perpetuates an understanding of women and girls as inherently vulnerable – an understanding which is not borne out by social science research. Balancing attention to victimization with information about resistance avoids this reification of women’s vulnerability, counters the sense of helplessness that often results when students learn about this topic, and opens up space for considering solutions to the problem of violence against women.
Although accountability lies at the heart of the “doing gender” perspective, it has received surp... more Although accountability lies at the heart of the “doing gender” perspective, it has received surprisingly little attention from gender scholars. In this article, I analyze the different ways that scholars have conceptualized accountability. I propose a synthesis of these various understandings, and demonstrate the utility of this conceptualization with examples from my research on feminist self-defense training. This analysis sheds light on both the workings of accountability and the process of change in gender expectations and practices. I conclude by considering the implications of this reconceptualization of accountability.
Abstract Three different programs designed to increase women’s ability to recognize, avoid, and r... more Abstract Three different programs designed to increase women’s ability to recognize, avoid, and resist sexual assault have demonstrated success in reducing sexual violence in college populations. In this chapter, we describe and analyze these three programs (the Ohio University Sexual Assault Risk Reduction Program, the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act Sexual Assault Resistance Program, and the Self-Defense from the Inside Out program). After describing the history, format, and content of each program, we discuss their similarities and differences and assess how their components are related to a range of outcomes, including knowledge of effective self-defense strategies, adherence to rape myths, self and perpetrator-blame, self-defense, self-efficacy, fear, assertiveness skills, use of protective strategies, intention to use particular strategies, and sexual assault outcomes. We conclude by making recommendations for future research. Overall, there is good evidence that such programs effectively reduce the rates of sexual victimization among women when they include evidence-based content, provide opportunity for practice, and are longer than workshop length. We argue that universities must include such programs in their sexual assault prevention plans.
Abstract Empowerment self-defense (ESD), also known as feminist self-defense, is a distinctive ap... more Abstract Empowerment self-defense (ESD), also known as feminist self-defense, is a distinctive approach to women’s sexual assault resistance education, rooted in the second-wave radical feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In this chapter, I review the defining qualities, theoretical grounding, and evidence base of ESD classes. ESD classes are comprehensive, evidence-based, hold perpetrators responsible, transform understandings of women’s bodies, place violence in a social context, advocate social change goals, and empower rather than restrict women’s lives. Recent empirical evaluations have found that ESD classes reduce women’s risk of sexual assault and harassment and increase their self-confidence. Despite these promising findings, much remains to be learned about the optimal structure and timing of ESD education and the mechanisms that produce these positive effects.
Self-defense classes are offered across the nation as a strategy for reducing women’s vulnerabili... more Self-defense classes are offered across the nation as a strategy for reducing women’s vulnerability to sexual assault. Yet there has been little systematic research assessing the effectiveness of these classes. In this article, I use data from a mixed methods study of a 10-week, university-based, feminist self-defense class to examine the effectiveness of self-defense training over a 1-year follow-up period. My analyses indicate that women who participate in self-defense training are less likely to experience sexual assault and are more confident in their ability to effectively resist assault than similar women who have not taken such a class.
The authors argue that temporality is a significant dimension of social activity. The paper revie... more The authors argue that temporality is a significant dimension of social activity. The paper reviews the phenomenological experience of temporality, ways of conceptualizing time, and ways in which temporality may shape interpretation, and illustrates these themes through an empirical study in which approximately 80 subjects read and responded to one of two short stories. Themes of temporality were explored in the interview transcripts through references to temporal themes, temporality as an influence on causal and trait attributions, temporal chains, and other forms of interpretive cycles, as well as ways in which temporality is involved in the definition of other and “possible others.” On the basis of these patterns, we conclude that time is a crucial factor in shaping interpretations of social life.
In this article, the author describes an approach to teaching about violence against women that b... more In this article, the author describes an approach to teaching about violence against women that balances discussion of violence with information about women's individual and collective resistance. This strategy addresses two concerns about traditional approaches to this topic: that focusing only on victimization disempowers students and that it provides only a partial view of the reality of violence in women's lives. To address these problems, the author integrates discussion of resistance into the class's working definition of violence, assigned readings, guest speakers, and course assignments. The author concludes with a discussion of the positive effects of this approach.
Given the positive benefits of self-defense training for women, it is important to understand how... more Given the positive benefits of self-defense training for women, it is important to understand how women come to enroll in self-defense classes. Using data from a longitudinal study of university women, I explore the reasons women give for taking a self-defense class. I find that friends’ recommendations, visions of the “possible selves” they could become, and fear of violence were the most frequently reported reasons; having experienced a past assault was rarely cited as a reason for enrolling. In addition, many women who had never enrolled in a self-defense class reported having considered doing so. I explore barriers to learning self-defense and find that logistical issues such as time, money, and availability of classes were the most frequently reported reasons for not enrolling.
Teaching Gender and Sex in Contemporary America, 2016
Violence against women is increasingly the focus of public attention, and many classes on gender ... more Violence against women is increasingly the focus of public attention, and many classes on gender address this issue. The focus of such attention is often the widespread prevalence of gendered violence and the deep and lasting harm done to women by this violence. Although this reality is important, I argue in this chapter that it is equally important for students to understand the ways in which women can and do resist this violence, both individually and collectively. Simply focusing on the violence itself perpetuates an understanding of women and girls as inherently vulnerable – an understanding which is not borne out by social science research. Balancing attention to victimization with information about resistance avoids this reification of women’s vulnerability, counters the sense of helplessness that often results when students learn about this topic, and opens up space for considering solutions to the problem of violence against women.
Uploads
Papers by Jocelyn Hollander