Is “Outrage” Enough?: Sexual Violence, Popular Culture, and the Politics of Human Rights

On August 9, 2024, a young female doctor was found brutally gang-raped and murdered at the R G Kar hospital in Kolkata, India. In the conversation about sexual violence inflicted on the female doctor, both the general public and human rights activists have been at the forefront of protests, demanding redressal and justice for her. This case has become viral through social media and news channels that have focused more on the reportage of the “outrage” rather than the victim-survivor. India has witnessed ongoing cases of rape and sexual violence against women to the point that they have become “flashpoint(s)” (Kurian and Jha 2018) and nothing more. Despite protests all over the world against sexual violence, it continues unabated. There appears to be a disjunct since the actions taken are too little and too late. We have come to a standstill moment where we must ask what the next steps should be. 

This seminar explores narratives that question, destabilize, and re-script the normative mainstream representations of violence inflicted on bodies and the trauma, anger, and outrage that follows. Papers can address: What forms of “outrage” are required to create a space for meaningful dialogue and to bring about tangible changes? In what ways does “outrage” shape narratives of human rights violations and sexual violence? How have writers, artists, and filmmakers responded to (the lack of) “outrage” at the grassroots level and globally? What new aesthetics and literary forms emerge in response to the circulation and dissemination of subaltern and counter-normative voices? How has the pedagogical praxis been shaped or influenced by “outrage”? Finally, we ask this question: Is “outrage” enough?