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" Rape attributions in India: The influence of attitudes towards women, violence, and communities "
Meera Murthi
D. Espelage
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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53236
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| Doc. No
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TL23190
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| Call number
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3250298
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| Main Entry
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Meera Murthi
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| Title & Author
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Rape attributions in India: The influence of attitudes towards women, violence, and communities\ Meera Murthi
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| College
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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| Date
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2006
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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2006
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| Page No
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104
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| Abstract
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This research pertains to sexual violence against women (VAW) in contexts of inter-ethnic violence in South-Asia, India, and examines victim and community rape blame attributions made by Muslims and Hindus. Specifically the study focused on assessing attitudes that predict blame attributions, and examined whether women and men, Muslims, and Hindus differed in their blame attributions. The objectives of the study were thus: (a) to examine whether (i) restrictive attitudes towards women, (ii) attitudes that endorse VAW, (iii) attitudes that view women as tools of war in inter-ethnic violence (i.e., using VAW as a way to effect control over their community) and (iv) discriminatory attitudes towards communities predict attributions of victim and community blame in contexts of inter-ethnic violence, and (b) to examine whether there are sex and religious differences in blame attributions. This study utilized a survey interview methodology, and included a community sample of Muslim and Hindu, women and men (n=469) from 6 neighborhoods in Mumbai, India, three of which had experienced Muslim-Hindu violence and three that had remained peaceful. The study employed a vignette methodology to assess blame attributions and the vignettes were based on actual instances of violence against Muslim and Hindu woman. Broadly, findings indicated that attitudes that endorsed VAW, viewed women as tools of war, and endorsed discriminatory attitudes towards communities were significant predictors of victim and community blame. Specific results on victim blame in inter-ethnic rape supported the overall literature on rape victim blame. Finally, significant sex and religious differences were found for community blame. Findings from this study help to understand how Muslims and Hindus construe and interpret sexual VAW in contexts of inter-ethnic strife. Findings also identify specific attitudes that predict whether Muslims and Hindus diffuse responsibility to victims from their own community or the other community, and whether they hold their own community or the other community liable. Finally, results are also discussed in the current context of Muslim-Hindu climate in India.
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| Subject
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Social sciences; Education; Psychology; Attitudes toward women; Communities; Hindu; India; Interethnic violence; Muslims; Rape; Violence; Social psychology; Womens studies; Academic guidance counseling; Minority ethnic groups; Sociology; 0453:Womens studies; 0519:Academic guidance counseling; 0631:Sociology; 0631:Minority ethnic groups; 0451:Social psychology
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D. Espelage
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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