Are women and men biologically destined to be in perpetual conflict? Does                  evolutionary genetics adequately explain sexual aggression? Such questions have been                  much debated in both the media and academia. In particular, the notion that rape is                  an evolutionary adaptation, put forth by Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer in                  their book A Natural History of Rape (MIT Press, 2000), vaulted the debate into                  national prominence. This book assesses Thornhill and Palmer's ideas, as well as the                  critical responses to their work. Drawing on theory and data from anthropology,                  behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, primatology, psychology, and sociology,                  the essays explain the flaws and limitations of a strictly biological model of rape.                  They argue that traditionally stereotyped gender roles are grounded more in culture                  than in differing biological reproductive roles.The book is divided into three                  parts. The first part, "Evolutionary Models and Gender," addresses broad theoretical                  and methodological issues of evolutionary theory and sociobiology. Part 2,                  "Critiquing Evolutionary Models of Rape," addresses specific propositions of                  Thornhill and Palmer, making explicit their unexamined assumptions and challenging                  the scientific bases for their conclusions. It also considers other studies on                  biological gender differences. Part 3, "Integrative Cultural Models of Gender and                  Rape," offers alternative models of rape, which incorporate psychology and cultural                  systems, as well as a broader interpretation of evolutionary theory.

Evolution, Gender, and Rape (Bradford Books) PDF

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