Keith Mowat

Citation

Thesis Title
Masculinity as a site of pre-emptive intervention in the prevention of child sexual abuse

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Mr Mowat’s research sought to challenge dominant assumptions regarding paedophilia and child sex offending and open up the possibility for interventions that engage men before they offend against children.  The study revealed that there are blurred boundaries between media representations and psychological constructions of child sex offenders.  This has produced a dominant representation of child sex offenders as monstrous and deviant.  This powerful representation has obscured gendered social power relationships and the discourses of hegemonic masculinity that are implicated in child sex offending. The analysis of former offender''s narratives suggests potential points of pre-emptive intervention and suggests that addressing cultural assumptions of heteronormativity could mitigate sexually harmful constructions of masculinity.  

Supervisors
Associate Professor Leigh Coombes
Associate Professor Ross Flett