Eating Disorders and Child Sexual Abuse

This book challenges the traditional understanding of women's experiences with eating disorders and child sexual abuse by arguing that their distress is an enactment of their engagement with certain discourses and practices. It uses poetry and drawings from women to demonstrate that an eating disorder is an understandable response to sexual trauma and a form of resistance to express silenced traumas.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 12 March 2022
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

This book delves into a profound exploration of women's perceptions of eating disorders and child sexual abuse, challenging the traditional pathology-driven approach. At its core, the central argument posits that women's distress arises from their active engagement with specific discourses and practices, rather than being solely a reaction to child sexual abuse. By employing a contemporary feminist framework and Mikhail Bakhtin's sociological linguistics, the author aims to substantiate this argument through the utilization of women's own poetry and drawings as evidence. The book establishes that an eating disorder can be perceived as an understandable response to sexual trauma, shifting the focus away from attributing it solely to a "damaged personality." Moreover, it compellingly demonstrates that women with eating disorders are employing their bodies as a powerful form of resistance to express the silenced traumas that reside within the often-silenced female body. This innovative approach offers a proactive means of making sense of the experiences of child sexual abuse, providing a profound understanding of the complex interplay between trauma, gender, and the body.

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789813362987
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021