Did Anti Pornography Kill Femicide? The Sex Wars and the Boundaries of Violence

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 8: Social Movements and Collective Action

Abstract

Second-wave feminism successfully institutionalized categories like "marital rape" and "domestic violence," yet "femicide"—the systemic killing of women—struggled for discursive traction. This paper explores why this critical concept remained marginalized. I argue that the mid-1980s "Sex Wars" redefined feminist boundaries, centering debates on pornography and sexuality while effectively obscuring the specific crisis of lethal violence.

Author

• Carla D Escobar-Ortiz, Yale University