Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape
by Susan Brownmiller
Reviewed by
Geoffrey W. Sutton
Abstract
Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (2013), originally published in 1975, reframed rape as a political act of power and control rather than an isolated crime of passion. Drawing on history, law, warfare, slavery, racial politics, prisons, and cultural and victim narratives, Brownmiller argued that rape functions as a conscious tool of domination. This review summarizes her central arguments, highlights the book’s historical and cultural significance, and provides a historical framework against which we can measure progress or the lack thereof (Sutton, 2025, October 1).
Keywords: rape, feminism, sexual violence, power, gender, survivor advocacy
CITE THIS REVIEW
Sutton, G. W. (2025, October 1). Rape as Power: Revisiting Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will in Historical and Cultural Context. Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews. https://suttonreviews.suttong.com/2025/10/rape-as-power-revisiting-susan.html
SUMMARY
Brownmiller asserts that rape is a deliberate act of humiliation and control, not an impulsive sexual act. She emphasizes that victims often feared for their lives, underscoring the terror inherent in the crime. She situates rape within a long historical continuum, noting that cultures across the globe have tied sexual violence to warfare and the treatment of women as property.
She traces how rape entered legal systems as a property crime, where harm to a woman’s body was considered an offense against her male guardian or husband. Phrases such as “a crime committed against her body became a crime against the male estate” illustrate how patriarchal law codified women’s subordination.
Brownmiller devotes significant attention to rape in warfare. She cites General George S. Patton, Jr., who admitted that rape was inevitable in war, treating it as collateral rather than a crime against women’s humanity. She documents how aggressor nations rarely acknowledge rape, while defeated nations frame it as the ultimate humiliation—a “sexual coup de grâce” against their men. She argues that rape in warfare has a military effect, functioning as a tactic of intimidation and demoralization.
Her analysis extends to slavery and colonization. Brownmiller argues that rape in slavery was not incidental but institutional, “part and parcel of the white man’s subjugation of a people for economic and psychological gain.” Enslaved women’s reproductive systems were controlled to ensure a steady supply of slave children, and after the 1807 ban on the African slave trade, “breeding” became an economic enterprise. These practices reveal how sexual violence was embedded in the economic and social structures of slavery.
Brownmiller examines racialized rape accusations. She critiques defense strategies in cases involving Black men accused of raping white women, noting how attorneys often discredited women by portraying them as unstable, promiscuous, or sexually frustrated. She also highlights the institutionalization of sexual violence in prisons, where rape was “tolerated, even encouraged, by the prison authorities” as a means of control. Accounts from Atmore prison describe how young boys were quickly “made into women” through systemic abuse, illustrating how institutions weaponized sexual violence to maintain dominance. Her treatment of Emmett Till, the young teen lynched for whistling at a white woman, presented the boy as a sexist and minimized the horror of racism.
In the final chapters, expand the analysis to institutional power, cultural myths, and victim “training.” Brownmiller insists that “all rape is an exercise in power, but some rapists have an access to power that is institutional.” She identifies prison rape, police rape, and the sexual abuse of children as examples of institutionalized violence. She critiques the myth of the “heroic rapist,” noting how cultures often romanticize bandits and adventurers who commit sexual violence.
Brownmiller also argues that “women are trained to be rape victims.” She examines cultural narratives, such as fairy tales, that portray women as passive, vulnerable, and helpless. In her reading, Red Riding Hood becomes a parable of rape, with the wolf symbolizing male aggression and the girl embodying female passivity. She extends this critique to media, analyzing films that eroticize or trivialize rape. In one example, a film portrays a woman raped by a hitchhiker who later kills him, only to be asked by police if she “enjoyed” the experience—an illustration of how popular culture normalizes victim-blaming and sexual violence. Brownmiller denounced both prostitution and pornography, which she saw as additional features of rape culture.
Evaluation
Brownmiller’s work was revolutionary in its time. She reframed rape as a political act, exposing its systemic role in maintaining patriarchal power. Her interdisciplinary approach—drawing on history, law, warfare, slavery, racial politics, prisons, and cultural narratives—gave the book wide-ranging impact. The text catalyzed feminist activism, influenced legal reforms, and provided a vocabulary for survivor advocacy, including the introduction of terms like sexual harassment and conceptualization of rape culture. However, the book also has limitations. Brownmiller often frames men as aggressors and women as victims, which risks essentialism and oversimplification. In addition, her portrayal of Black men risks perpetuating a stereotype as a Black racist illustrated by her treatment of Emmett Till.
Against Our Will remains a landmark in feminist scholarship and advocacy. Brownmiller’s bold reframing of rape as a political act continues to shape discourse on sexual violence and sexual harassment. The book’s enduring value lies in its ability to provoke critical reflection on how societies normalize and institutionalize sexual violence and harassment, making it both a foundation and a challenge for survivor-centered advocacy today.
In Brief
“Susan Brownmiller shattered the myth: rape isn’t sex, it’s power. Against Our Will still demands we listen.
#FeministScholarship #GenderStudies #CriticalTheory
“From war zones to prisons, Brownmiller exposed rape as systemic domination—not deviance. Her words still cut deep.”
#ViolenceStudies #FeministTheory #HistoryOfSexuality
“‘Women are trained to be rape victims.’ Brownmiller forces us to confront the culture that normalizes violence.”
#CulturalCritique #GenderJustice #FeministScholarship
“Rape as property crime. Rape as war tactic. Rape as control. Brownmiller mapped the system—and we’re still living in it.”
#LegalHistory #FeministStudies #PowerAndViolence
“Nearly 50 years later, Against Our Will remains a landmark—and a challenge. Survivor voices must lead the next chapter.”
#SurvivorAdvocacy #IntersectionalFeminism #AcademicTwitter
References
Brownmiller, S. (2013). Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape. Open Road
Sutton, G. W. (2025, October 1). Rape as Power: Revisiting Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will in Historical and Cultural Context. Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews. https://suttonreviews.suttong.com/2025/10/rape-as-power-revisiting-susan.html
Author Bio
Susan Brownmiller (1935–2025) was an American journalist, author, and feminist activist best known for her groundbreaking book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (1975). Born in Brooklyn, New York, she studied at Cornell University before pursuing work as an actress, editor, and journalist. Brownmiller became active in the civil rights movement during the 1960s, volunteering with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during Freedom Summer in Mississippi. By the late 1960s she was a prominent voice in the Women’s Liberation Movement in New York City.
Review Author
Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals.
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