Underneath Her Pantsuit: A Reflection on Hanna Rosin's The End of Men
Boston University Law Review Annex, Vol. 93, pp. 37-43, 2013
Northeastern University School of Law Research Paper No. 148-2013
8 Pages Posted: 29 Jun 2013 Last revised: 16 Jul 2013
Date Written: 2013
Abstract
In this Essay, the author offers two related but distinct reflections on Hanna Rosin's line of argumentation with regard to women and violence in her book The End of Men. First, the author argues that Rosin offers a helpful account of women’s relationship to violence, which can be used as a lens to critique assumptions about women that appear in international law and development. Second, despite the usefulness of Rosin's argument there is a danger in its presentation: she is heavily reliant on race, class, and religion tropes. Rosin’s deployment of these tropes does the work of making her claim more believable to an audience that may be sympathetic to such stereotypes. In doing so she further entrenches negative ideas of the groups represented in her book.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation