Feminist Perspectives On Evidence

Questions of evidence and proof are fundamental to the operation of substantive law and to our understanding of law as a social practice. The study of evidence involves issues of central concern to feminist scholars,including matters of epistemology, psychology, allocation of risk and responsibility. Debates about evidence, like debates about feminism, involve questioning ideas of rationality and truth, as well as claims to knowledge both by and about men and women. Social constructions of gender are reflected both explicitly and implicitly in evidential rules and in the way in which evidence is received and understood by judges, jurors and magistrates. Feminist evidence scholarship is a relatively new but rapidly developing field. This collection brings together previously unpublished work by feminist legal scholars from different jurisdictions. In these essays, they explore the contributions of feminist theory and methodology to the understanding of the law of evidence.

Criminal law has traditionally been taught and analysed as if the gender of criminals and their victims is irrelevant. It has also been taught and analysed as if criminal law doctrine has no connection with questions of criminalisation,crime detection, decisions to charge and prosecute, lawyers trial tactics, decisions as to guilt and sentencing policy and practice, all of which are significantly affected by gender.This book seeks to fill these gaps by looking at the major areas in which gender affects the way that suspected criminals and their victims are treated by the criminal justice system. However, this book is not just a supplement to traditional criminal law discourse. It is a dangerous supplement, in that the focus on gender challenges laws claim to neutrality and even-handed justice.The essays in this book establish that, not only does the law frequently fail to offer women the sort of protection from male violence and sexual invasion that they need, but it continues to discriminate on grounds of gender. Even when discriminating in favour of women, it does so in ways that reinforce dangerous gender stereotypes. More specifically, both criminal law doctrine and criminal justice personnel apply and reinforce ideas, on the one hand, of female passivity, irrationality and proneness to illness, and, on the other, of natural male aggression - both physical and sexual.

This text offers a collection of essays examining various aspects of the law of evidence. Each chapter provides a feminist critique of some aspect of evidence scholarship and evidence law. Much has been written about evidence and about feminist legal theory: this text explores their intersection.

this comprehensive volume provides a broad sample of contemporary British feminist work on women and health. It spans the disciplines of psychology, sociology, social policy, social anthropology and economics, and demonstrates the development of feminist theorizing and activism in these areas over the past decade. Topics include: global and national politics of women's health; the 'psychologization' of health: sexuality and AIDS; body image and pregnancy; reproductive technology; substance abuse; breast cancer; and the long-term health problems of women. Calling for a greater understanding of women and health, the contributors acknowledge the gender-based inequities of women's experiences and address the need for social and political change in order to improve the health and health care of women across the lifespan.

The Feminist Perspectives Series seeks to provide concise, accessible and engaging introductions to key feminist topics and debates. The texts in the series are designed to be used on a wide range of courses exploring feminist issues and are written by experienced teachers who are also well known in their respective fields. Each book in the series includes the most up-to-date statistics, research data, key sources and suggestions for further reading. Feminist Perspectives On Language provides an accessible introduction to this complex area. It redresses the balance of current feminist texts which tend to concentrate on discourse analysis and fail to connect with feminist thought in other disciplines such as sociology and politics. The text is divided into two parts, the first looks at language itself, how we learn language exploring such questions as; Does language free or trap us? Does our language affect how we come to understand the world around us? Is our language sexist? If so, does that reflect male dominance in society? and many more issues. Part Two explores questions of methodology and interpretation examining language in use, communication styles and the analysis of conversation.

This second edition of the bestselling An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives confirms the centrality of feminist perspectives and research to the sociological enterprise and introduces students and the general reader to the wide range of feminist contributions to key areas of sociological concern. This completely revised edition includes material on new feminist theories and post-modern feminism, as well as incorporating the findings of recent empirical research. Written by two experienced teachers and examiners, it gives students of sociology and women's studies an accessible overview of the feminist contribution to all the key areas of sociological concern.

Previous collections of essays on equity and trusts law have focused on doctrinal issues, only occasionally giving a policy gloss or suggestion of social context and impact. Although a critical approach can be glimpsed in journal articles and student texts, this collection of essays draws together both feminist and critical material. It is unique in being written by feminists, in dealing with equity and trusts as a whole and in being written in the critical tradition.

Feminist Perspectives on Tort brings together acknowledged experts in these two areas to pursue a distinctly feminist approach to the major areas of tort law.