• ‘Is Dinah Raped?’ Isn’t the Right Question: Genesis 34 and Feminist Historiography

    Author(s):
    Alison Joseph (see profile)
    Editor(s):
    Shawna Dolansky, Sarah Shectman
    Date:
    2019
    Group(s):
    Bible and the History of Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Studies, Feminist Humanities, Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
    Subject(s):
    Feminist criticism, Sex--Religious aspects, Violence--Religious aspects
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    genesis 34, dinah, Rape Culture, Gender and sexuality, Religion and sexuality, Religion and violence
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/kyt6-mw40
    Abstract:
    Many of the feminist readings of the Dinah story in Genesis 34 in recent years have focused on the question of whether Dinah is raped. The interpretations that perhaps Dinah was not “raped” span the spectrum from a teenage love affair between Dinah and Shechem, to a case of statutory rape, to a marriage by abduction. Guilty of exploring this question myself, this paper will address what’s at stake in determining whether Dinah were raped. It does not make the conclusion of the story (the brutal slaying of the people of Shechem at their weakest moment, while using the sign of the covenant as a weapon) any more palatable. Instead, we should ask why this chapter is included in the larger Jacob narrative. Dinah arrives just in time to walk out among the women of the land and disappears again as soon as the brothers bring her home. She isn’t even the star of her “own” story. The narrative could certainly progress without the chapter. Should Genesis 34 be interesting to gender critics? Does decrying the story as “not rape” further objectify Dinah? Does a gendered reading help us to understand this story better?
    Notes:
    Special issue on "Gendered Historiography: Theoretical Considerations and Case Studies," eds. Shawna Dolansky and Sarah Shectman. http://www.jhsonline.org/Articles/article_250.pdf
    Metadata:
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    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. Date:
    2019
    Journal:
    Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
    Volume:
    19
    Issue:
    4
    Page Range:
    27 - 37
    ISSN:
    1203-1542
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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