Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2016 -

The editors ofWomen, War, and Violence (a journalist and sociologist, respectively) offer readers an extensive compilation of interdisciplinary research on wartime violence against women, encompassing sociological theories on gender violence, case studies from around the world, and toolkits and organizational models of resistance to gender violence. Contributors include leading academic researchers, journalists, scientists, activists, government and international officials, legal experts, human-rights educators, and military veterans. Their essays cover a diversity of topics including, for example, violence against immigrant women or female refugees, trafficking of women, wartime rape, spousal PTSD, women in combat, sexual assault in the US military, women's roles in global diplomacy and peacekeeping activities, the influence of women as "citizen journalists" in war-torn countries, and women's activism against ecoviolence as a result of war. Case studies--all very strong--highlight the situation in Mexico, India, Africa, and the Middle East. The chapters are short and title sections are clearly outlined in bold font, which makes the two-volume set easy to browse. That the index is contained only in the second volume, however, is a slight inconvenience. Chapter bibliographies offer up-to-date references encompassing an assortment of secondary works and international, governmental, or NGO publications, as well as interviews and oral histories, and a variety of online resources. The work by no means attempts a comprehensive treatment of the topic, but its transnational focus and currency helps readers understand resistance to wartime violence against women as a global movement. This unique and invaluable reference resource will appeal to students and scholars in many fields, including sociology, political science, women's studies, international studies, journalism, environmental studies, history, and international security and peace studies.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.