Naming ‘Femicide’

Citation

Rogers A (2021) Naming ‘Femicide’. In: Gordon F & Newman D (eds.) Leading Works in Law and Social Justice. Analysing Leading Works in Law. London: Routledge, pp. 85-98. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429287572-7

Abstract
Ashley Rogers in Chapter 6 identifies the significance of Diana Russell’s works on naming and highlighting the formally hidden phenomenon of femicide. It outlines the importance of Russell’s work in her identifying femicide as a specific social and criminological phenomenon that requires attention on the gendered element of homicide, amongst other social categories of differentiation. It argues that by attaching a name to the murder of women, Russell established space that has continued to be used since, to spread awareness and instigate contestation. The chapter argues that this has given rise to greater awareness and demands for change to social and legal orders. One of the central conclusions of the chapter is that injustice needs to be named and that the creation of new law is only the beginning of working towards achieving social justice.