2009 Victoria Schuck Award

For the best book published in the previous calendar year on women and politics.

Award Committee: Aili Mari Tripp, Chair, University of Wisconsin,
Madison; Mala N. Htun, New School for Social Research; and Jane Jenson, University of Montreal

Recipient: Kristin Bumiller, Amherst College

Title: In an Abusive State: How Neoliberalism Appropriated the Feminist Movement Against Sexual Violence (Duke University Press, 2008)

Citation: Kristin Bumiller’s In an Abusive State: How Neoliberalism Appropriated the Feminist Movement Against Sexual Violence was published by Duke University Press in 2008. It is a provocative study of how feminist advocacy to stop sexual violence in the United States has unwittingly resulted in state policies that have contributed to criminalizing a large section of American men who disproportionately represent ethnic minorities and immigrant groups. In a compelling and nuanced exploration of a difficult topic, Bumiller shows the consequences of our over-reliance on the courts and the social welfare bureaucracy as instruments to deal with sexual violence. She reveals the limits of state-based responses in lieu of broader reforms that would address the multiple social dimensions of the problem and criticizes the portrayal of sensational episodes of sexual violence in the media. Adopting a theoretically innovative approach and challenging conventional wisdom, the book significantly advances debates on sexual violence and is certain to influence policy in this area.