This episode of The Dig is brought to you by our supporters at patreon.com

and by Verso Books, which has loads of great left-wing titles,

perfect for dig listeners like you.

One that you might like is rape, from Lucretia to Me Too,

by Me Too San Yal.

Thanks to Title IX cases, Me Too, and Times Up, the issue of rape seems to be constantly in the news.

But our thinking on the subject has a long history, one that cultural critic Me Too Saniale elegantly reconstructs.

She narrates a history spanning from Lucretia, whose legendary rape and suicide was said to be the downfall of the last Roman king to second wave feminism

Tarzan and Roman Polonsky. Sagnal demonstrates that the way we understand rape is

remarkably and alarmingly consistent across the ages even

though the world has changed beyond recognition. It is high time for a new and

informed a debate about sexual violence, sexual boundaries, and consent.

Me too Sagnal shows that our comprehension of rape is closely connected to our understanding of sex, sexuality, and gender.

Why is it that we expect victims to be irreparably damaged?

When we think of rapists, why do we think of strangers rather than uncles, husbands,

priests, or boyfriends? And in this era of me too, what should justice look like?

Rape from Lucretia Me Too examines the role of race in the recurrent image of the black rapist,

the omission of male victims, and what we mean when we talk about rape culture.

Sagnal takes on every received opinion we have about rape, arguing with liberals,

conservatives, and feminists alike.

Rape from Lucretia to Me Too by Me Too San Yal, out now from Verso Books. books. Dig, a podcast from Jacobin magazine.

My name is Daniel Denver, and I'm temporarily broadcasting from Santiago de Chile.

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