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| author | Keiran Edgar Wilson |
| title | Quantifying "The Fighting Spirit": Using Feminist Theory to Inform Analyses of Empowerment Self-Defense Training as
Sexual Assault Prevention Education |
| abstract | Feminist theory and empirical research have both addressed sexual violence in various ways. However,
feminist theory often fails to acknowledge the empirical literature on sexual violence prevention in general and empowerment self-defense
training in particular; similarly, the empirical literature, while dealing with the reality of sexual violence, is not necessarily grounded
in feminist literature or adept at acknowledging the work of feminist scholars with respect to methodology. This paper seeks to bridge that
gap in two ways: through a literature review that addresses the tensions in feminist theory around empowerment self-defense training, and
with two empirical studies. One study examined the individual-level impact of self-defense training via a pre-post analysis of students
enrolled in a self-defense course; the other examined the community-level impact of empowerment self-defense through evaluating the effect
of information on self-defense training on men's decision-making about sexually aggression. The results are consistent with the literature
that shows empowerment self-defense has many individual benefits such as increased self-efficacy, but the community impact is still uncertain
and requires further research. Researchers must integrate feminist theory into the design and analysis of studies on empowerment self-defense
training and sexual assault prevention. |
| school | The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University |
| degree | B.A. (2017) |
| advisor | Dr. Jill Cermele |
| committee | Dr. Deb Liebowitz
Dr. Jinee Lokaneeta |
| full text | KEWilson.pdf |
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