Thinking Like an Abolitionist to End Sexual Violence in Higher Education

This book brings abolitionist ideas into higher education contexts as a way to address the problem of sexual violence on college campuses. Despite college and university administrators spending millions of dollars each year to address sexual violence among students, rates of sexual violence have not budged. This cutting-edge book examines the histories of policies enacted to address sexual violence on campuses, drawing parallels between campus movements and mainstream feminist movements, describes contexts contributing to ongoing harm and violence among students with minoritized identities, and explores healing through community accountability processes. Thinking Like an Abolitionist to End Sexual Violence in Higher Education provides promising strategies for leaders in higher education to consider, including embracing mistakes, moving through fear, facilitating individual and collective healing, and employing transformative approaches to accountability. With suggestions for engaging in reflection and specific calls to action, practitioners, researchers, activists, educators, and policymakers alike will find this resource to be a transformative keystone text.

Chris Linder is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Director of the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Utah, USA. Nadeeka Karunaratne is Postdoctoral Researcher in the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Utah, USA. Niah S. Grimes is Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Morgan State University, USA.

1. Introduction: Setting a Context 2. What Do We Mean By "Abolitionist Thinking"? 3: History and Context of Sexual Violence in Higher Education 4. Examining Carceral Practices in Higher Education 5. Healing as Abolitionist Praxis 6. Moving Beyond Fear: Strategies for Thinking Like an Abolitionist 7. Envisioning an Abolitionist Future