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Ideal-typical models of myths surrounding sexual assault

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Ideal-typical models of myths surrounding sexual assault

  • Laboratoire pour la recherche critique en droit - Critical legal research laboratory 2500 Boulevard de l'Université Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 0A5 Canada (map)

Thursday, April 8, 2021

11:30 AM 12:30 PM

Microsoft Teams. Please contact us to register for this workshop at lrcd@usherbrooke.ca.

Presented by: FIONA SAGEAU, law student at the University of Sherbrooke.

Summary: The rate of reported sexual assault is significantly lower than that of other crimes in Canada: less than 5% as compared to 34% (Conroy and Cotter, 2017). Existing literature on the topic highlights that certain myths surrounding sexual assault influence the way the crime and its victims are perceived. This in turn hinders its social and legal acknowledgement. Using a comprehensive approach based on the sociology of Max Weber, this presentation will explore ideal-typical models of those myths. It will first explain the methodology behind their construction. Then, it will address their heuristic value as models for understanding a legal and social reality. More specifically, it will demonstrate how drawing from those myths leads to an understanding of the criteria for assessing the credibility of witnesses in trial decisions for cases of sexual assault.