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Milkweed Editions

Transforming a Rape Culture, Revised Edition

"What a girl wants, what a woman wants is what Freud knew is held precious by every man: self-determination, autonomy within reason, life without undue fear, liberty without causing hardship to others, and the ability to pursue one's happiness. None of those desires can be fulfilled for women so long as we live in a rape culture."

—Emilie Buchwald, "Raising Girls for the 21st Century" from Transforming a Rape Culture

First published in 1993, Transforming a Rape Culture is a groundbreaking anthology about sexual violence, America's rape culture, and what can be done to dismantle it. A powerful polemic for fundamental cultural change, writers including Louise Erdrich, bell hooks, and Gloria Steinem call for the transformation of basic attitudes about power, gender, race, and sexuality. A fully revised edition was released in 2005, on the 10th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.

Today’s artifact, below, is an article by the anthology's editors—Milkweed co-founder Emilie Buchwald, Pamela R. Fletcher, and Martha Roth—published twenty-four years ago in the November 14, 1993 issue of the Star Tribune.

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Star Tribune

November 14, 1993

The anthology continues to be relevant today. Meanwhile, our staff also reccomends Rebecca Solnit's recent Literary Hub piece on blaming women for the acts of men, and "How Men Like Harvey Weinstein Implicate Their Victims in Their Acts" by Jia Tolentino, published in The New Yorker. We would do well to follow the lead of these powerful women: to speak out, remain vigilant, and continue advocating for a safer and more just world for all.

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Milkweed Editions

Keep an eye on Milkweed’s Instagram and Twitter on Thursdays for #throwbackthursday posts about our progress on the Prairie Poets and Press project and interesting finds. Follow the #PrairiePoetsUMN hashtag to see all the posts related to the project. Stay tuned!