Book review: The political psychology of war rape: studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Inger Skjelsbæk has written an important, informative and well-written book about sexual violence against women in a context of war and conflict. By approaching this hideous crime from a political-psychological point of view, the author combines the two perspectives: the political, understanding violence as an intentional political action, dependent on shifting power structures and political objectives; and the psychological, exploring what rape in war means on a personal level for those exposed to such terrible crimes. The importance of a holistic view of war rape and the extreme trauma that this represents in a context of peace and conflict management is also underscored. Building peace in the aftermath of conflict is both a political and a therapeutic or psychosocial action.