Beyond ‘Revenge Porn’: The Continuum of Image-Based Sexual Abuse

In the last few years, many countries have introduced laws combating the phenomenon colloquially known as ‘revenge porn’. While new laws criminalising this practice represent a positive step forwards, the legislative response has been piecemeal and typically focuses only on the practices of vengeful ex-partners. Drawing on Liz Kelly’s (Surviving sexual violence. Polity Press, Cambridge, 1988) pioneering work, we suggest that ‘revenge porn’ should be understood as just one form of a range of gendered, sexualised forms of abuse which have common characteristics, forming what we are conceptualising as the ‘continuum of image-based sexual abuse’. Further, we argue that image-based sexual abuse is on a continuum with other forms of sexual violence. We suggest that this twin approach may enable a more comprehensive legislative and policy response that, in turn, will better reflect the harms to victim-survivors and lead to more appropriate and effective educative and preventative strategies.     

Race, Caste, or Class? The Bunche–Myrdal Dispute Over An American Dilemma

Few observers doubt that Gunnar Myrdal and Ralph J. Bunche had sharp methodological disagreements and differing approaches to tactics for ending the Negro problem. Myrdal has been criticized as a statist liberal and utopian moralist by recent cultural historians defending progressive nationalism (multiculturalism), while Bunche has been characterized as a vulgar Marxist, and, with Myrdal, a denigrator of black culture. Inspection of An American Dilemma in contrast with Bunche's research memoranda suggests that Myrdal represented himself as a Burkean conservative, while Bunche's analyses transmit the radical puritan libertarian tradition, but without rejecting social democratic remedies en route to working-class control of industry. Their shared emphasis on class-based remedies to end poverty and powerlessness, however, renders them similarly unassimilable in a period where the progressive left has generally embraced racial or ethnic identity, not class power, as the source of individual emancipation, mental health, and economic betterment.     

Pre-nuptial Agreements the end of romance or an invaluable weapon in the wealth protection armoury?

Media attention directed at high profile divorce cases has emphasizedthat trust assets may be included in divorce settlements andthe advantages which pre-nuptial and similar agreements canplay in achieving acceptable and less traumatic settlements.This article examines the role that pre-nuptial agreements andsimilar measures can play in achieving an acceptable settlement.     

How virtual are virtual economies? An exploration into the legal, social and economic nature of virtual world economies

Virtual world economies are undoubtedly increasing in growth, participation and importance. Their macroeconomic impact has already been seen as important in the real world economies; however its governance and jurisdiction is unclear. This paper will argue that virtual economies are not actually as virtual as they first appear to be. Secondly the paper argues that because of the real world effects and impacts virtual world economies can have, they should be applicable to real world jurisdictions and regulations. The question that is therefore posed is in which jurisdiction should the legal backbone be placed? The paper will be divided into several parts. Firstly, a background of what virtual worlds are, and what they mean in linguistic definition. Secondly, a review of law economics and history shall be considered to determine that what is once considered ‘other worldly’ is accepted as the norm. Thirdly, the paper will consider a virtual world economy, namely that of Second Life to establish the real world impacts that virtual world economies can have. Fourthly, the paper will consider two case studies of financial crisis occurring in the virtual worlds and the synergies we can draw from the real world. Finally, the paper will conclude with the proposition that legal governance is required and will enable what is already a lucrative business to flourish further within the realms of possibility and not virtually.     

Class,caste and gender in collective action: Agricultural labour unions in two Indian villages

This study asks why class, caste and gender ties operated differently in the mobilisation of agricultural labourers from two villages with a regional union movement. In both villages, mobilisation involved coalition building ‐ either across class or caste boundaries. The type of coalition assembled seems to depend on past political strategies that have been in use by labourers at least since the late 1940s. The contribution of social networks as conditioned by the organisation of the male and female workforces is also investigated. Such variables are found to be more ‘explanatory’ of participation in collective struggles with the labour union than abstract class categories or structural change in the economy.