In this episode, Em and Caz turn their attention to a particularly bloody narrative - Judges 19-21 - which depicts gang rape, murder, dismemberment, and sex trafficking. By making connections with some contemporary cases of violent crime, they shine a light on the ways that toxic masculinity and patriarchy shape the horrific gender violence that’s portrayed in this biblical story.

Resources for this episode

Will Briggs, “‘A Man’s Gotta Do What a Man’s Gotta Do?’ The Criticism of Hegemonic Masculinity in Judges 19:1-20:7.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 42, no. 1 (2017): 51-71.

Brandon Hurlbert, “Cut & Splice: Reading Judges 19 Cinematically.” Biblical Interpretation (2020): 1-25.

Ryan Kuja, “Remembering the Body: Misogyny Through the Lens of Judges 19.” Feminist Theology 25, no. 1 (2016): 89–95.

Sharmila Lodhia, “From “living corpse” to India's daughter: Exploring the social, political and legal landscape of the 2012 Delhi gang rape.” Women’s Studies International Forum 50 (2015): 89-101

Murderpedia, “Richard B. Crafts.”

https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/crafts-richard.htm

Victor G. Petreca et al., “Dismemberment and Mutilation: A Data-Driven Exploration of Patterns, Motives, and Styles.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 65, no. 3 (2020): 888-96.

Teresa da Silva, Jessica Woodhams and Leigh Harkins, “Multiple perpetrator rape: A critical review of existing explanatory theories.” Aggression and Violent Behavior 25 (2015): 150-58.

Mitzi J. Smith, “Dis-membering, Sexual Violence, and Confinement: A Womanist Intersectional Reading of the Story of the Levite’s Wife (Judges 19).” In Insights from African American Interpretation, edited by Mitzi J. Smith and Mark Allen Powell, 99-121. Augsburg Fortress, 2017.

RedHanded podcast

https://redhandedpodcast.com/

True Crime Brewery podcast, episode 231, “The Disappearance of Helle Crafts.”

https://tiegrabber.com/podcasts/the-disappearance-of-helle-crafts/

Support Services

Shine (NZ) - https://www.2shine.org.nz/

Family Violence - It’s Not Okay (NZ) - https://www.areyouok.org.nz/

List of sexual assault support services (NZ) - https://sexualabuse.org.nz/resources/find-sexual-assault-support-near-you/

Full Stop (Australia) - https://fullstop.org.au/

National Domestic Violence Hotline (USA) - https://www.thehotline.org/

RAINN (USA) - https://www.rainn.org/

Women’s Aid (UK) - https://www.womensaid.org.uk/