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Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and
Reference books
on Rape and Sexual Assault.
Online Dictionaries
Online Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are good place to start research on any
topic. They give a general overview of the subject and are a starting point to research more specific aspects.
For the topic of rape and sexual assault online Encyclopedias generally
have more up to date information than paper based resources.
Groliers Online Encyclopedia
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/
To access Groliers Online Encyclopedia free of charge- just click on Encyclopedia and then text only version (pop up window) and type in search term rape.
It is the top return. This entry is one of the best overviews for the topic of rape that I have found. It covers
recent aspects (date rape) as well as the history of rape in our society. It includes the concept that women are
a legal possession of their spouse or father, information on date rape drugs such as rohypnol and ghb and the Bosnia rape
trials.
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MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001955.htm
Medline is a reliable
source of medical and statistical information. "According to most estimates, 80-90% of rapes are
not reported to authorities. Current trends project that 1 in 3 American women will be sexually assaulted at some point during
her life. "
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http://www.bartleby.com/65/ra/rape3.html
The Columbia encyclopedia. Sixth edition, 2001-04
This entry for the definition of rape in law covers most of the
current issues in sexual assault. Some of those are date rape, proof of injury, feminism's role in improving victim
resources and rape as a war crime. Free to the public.
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Funk & Wagnalls New
World Encyclopedia
Funk & Wagnalls New World
Encyclopedia Via EBSCOHost - NCLive
Retrieved from the world wide web 2-2-03:
http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/list.php?letter=F
This online source is much
more satisfactory than most paper based entries for rape.
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Evaluation of the Groliers and Funk & Wagnalls online Encyclopedias:
Both Online Encyclopedias were much more thorough than the paper based counterparts. There were two returns each for the term rape.
Subjects covered were generally the definition of rape, statutory rape, recent statistics on rape, the history of the
issue, International law regarding Bosnia trials, and the previously unmentioned category of date rape and date rape drugs.
The primary difference between the two online encyclopedias is that Grolier's is much more
comprehensive than Funk and Wagnalls. Both carry the same tone and mention feminism
and its fight to improve conditions and rights of rape victims. Funk and Wagnall's
statistics report that a rape is reported in the US every 6 minutes. It also mentions
that in court "for the crime to constitute rape, the victim must resist, unless he or she is incapable of resistance because
of mental or physical weakness or deterred by fear of bodily harm." Grolier's
takes it a step further by explaining the history of rape in terms of underlying assumptions by our society. "The origin of rape laws can be traced to the once-wide spread belief that women were the property of men. A female was considered first the property of her father. Because her virginity was
valued as her principal asset, rape was considered a theft. Once a woman was
married, she belonged to her husband. Rape then was treated as a crime against
the husband's exclusive sexual rights to her. Because marriage gave these rights
to the husband, legally, it was not possible for him to rape his own wife." This
statement points to flaws in the criminal justice system. The author of this site's general conclusion
is that rape victims and researchers can get better information from internet resources that allow modern ideas on the subject
to easily be expressed and updated.
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Encyclopedia of Rape
Smith, M. D. (2004). Encyclopedia of Rape. USA: Greenwood Press.
HV6558 .E53 2004 Davis, UL, Law Reference
"Book Description-
Rape has been perpetrated throughout history and worldwide, and today ours has been called a rape culture, because sexual
violence, mainly against women and children, is prevalent and tolerated to some extent. The Encyclopedia of Rape offers 185
entries in an A-to-Z essay format covering the historical scope and magnitude of the issue in the United States and globally.
Written by a host of scholars from diverse fields, it provides informed perspectives on the key dimensions of the topic, from
concepts, social movements, offenders, high-profile cases, legislation, influential activists, landmark texts, and victimology
to representations in literature and art. This solid, accessible ready-reference will allow students and the general reader
to contextualize current events and reading and viewing in history, literature and the Bible, film, art history, gender studies,
psychology, criminology, popular culture, and more. "
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World Book Encyclopedia
Macdonals, John (2004). World Book Encyclopedia. United States of America: World Book Inc.
"94,000 rapes were reported in 1989… But officials estimate that the actual number of rapes committed may
be 10 times the number reported." -W. B. Encyclopedia.
World Book goes into detail regarding the overall failure of the justice system and how that occurs. Some examples are
the fact that only 2% of rapists are convicted due to difficulty proving the attack. In some instances proof that the victim
struggled is required. World Book includes information relating all this demand for proof with intimidation in regards to
reporting rape. It is also stated that defense attorneys try to prove the lack of the victim's morals. Entries are relatively
similar for each yearly edition of this encyclopedia.
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Evaluation of the World Book Encyclopedia:
The Encyclopedia covered the following topics:
The definition of rape
The definition of statutory rape
The fact that most rapists are not convicted (only 2% mentioned by world book)
Explanations for why victims are intimidated into not reporting the crime.
The fact that in trials the issue becomes whether the woman consented to sex.
The psychological definition of rape as an antisocial act of power rather than sex.
The traumatic after effects suffered by the victim.
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The Encyclopedia of Child Abuse
Clarke, Robin & Clarke, Julia. (2001). The Encyclopedia of child abuse 2nd edition. New York: Facts on File.
Davis Reference HV6626.5.C57 2001 UL Reference HV6626.5. C57 2001.
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Encyclopedia of criminology
Wright , R., & Miller, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of criminology. New York: Routledge.
HV6017 .E5295 2005 Davis Ref
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Encyclopedia of feminist literature
Whitson, Kathy J. (2004). Encyclopedia of feminist literature. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press
PN471 .W455 2004 Davis Ref
Search terms: Andrea Dworkin (take back the day), rape crisis centers, 1970s womens movement
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Violence in America : an encyclopedia
Gottesman, Ronald., Brown, Richard Maxwell. (1999). Violence in America : an encyclopedia. New York : Charles Scribner's
Sons
HN90.V5 V5474 1999 Davis Ref, HSL Ref
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The encyclopedia of violence : origins, attitudes, consequences
DiCanio, Margaret. (1993). The encyclopedia of violence : origins, attitudes, consequences. New York : Facts on File
HM291 .D4857 1993 Davis Ref, UL Ref, HSL books
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Encyclopedia of sex and gender : men and women in the world's cultures
Ember, Carol R., Ember, Melvin. (2003). Encyclopedia of sex and gender : men and women in the world's cultures. New York
: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers
HQ16 .E53 2003 Davis Ref
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Sexuality and the law : an encyclopedia of major legal cases
Leonard, Arthur S. (1993). Sexuality and the law : an encyclopedia of major legal cases. New York : Garland Pub
KF9325.A7 L46 1993 Davis Ref, Law Stacks
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Encyclopedia of psychology
Kazdin, Alan E. (2000). Encyclopedia of psychology. Washington, D.C. : American Psychological Association ; Oxford ; New
York : Oxford University Press
BF 31 E563 2000 Davis Ref, UL Ref, HSL Ref
Search terms: Rape trauma syndrome, Post traumatic stress disorder, Obessive compulsive disorder, Dissociative identity
disorder
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