Victimhood and Blame Dialectics in Culturally Diverse Male Students’ Discussions About Sexual Assault Policies

Abstract

Culture and Perspectives on Sexual Assault Policy was a qualitative, focus-group study conducted at four Canadian universities to gather culturally diverse student perspectives on university sexual violence or sexual assault policies and services. This article highlights two categories of dialectical tension expressed during several male focus groups. The Wrongful Blame Dialectic involved tension between anxieties about wrongful accusations and opposition to victim-blaming. Perceived risk of wrongful accusations was often linked to racism or ethnocentrism. The Male Victim Denial/Recognition Dialectic involved tension between denial and recognition of male sexual victimization. Male participants felt more vulnerable to wrongful accusation than to sexual violence. They felt more likely to be blamed and disbelieved, whether as respondents or complainants.

Culturally Diverse Female-Identified Students Discuss Sexual Assault Policies: Dialectics of Safety/Danger

“…Disclosure motivations and barriers vary intersectionally. Men appear less likely to disclose or report due to toxic ideas about masculinity and stereotypes about victim-perpetrator relationships ( Walsh et al, 2010 in Mennicke et al, 2021 ), themes that arose in male CAPSAP focus groups, as reported elsewhere ( Malinen et al, 2023 ). Immigrant women in Canada report disclosure barriers relating to language, cultural norms, legal or policy knowledge, service access, holding patriarchal beliefs, discrimination, and a desire not to worry family at home ( Aujla, 2021 ; Babalola et al, 2015 ; Raj & Silverman, 2002 ).…”

“…Although passages are drawn from a subset of represented cultural communities, female participants across cultures perceived both value and danger in engaging SV/SA policies. Whereas female participants often positioned themselves as potential survivors/victims, male participants often positioned themselves as potential respondents to SV/SA complaints, as discussed elsewhere ( Malinen et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Furthermore, when Crenshaw wrote her 1991 article, some shelters would not accept women without functional English skills. Understanding the circumstances of the survivors/victims in question requires thinking intersectionally about gender, immigration status, and language (see also Malinen et al, 2023 ).…”