Interview: Winners of NJC Best Article Prize 2021

Maria Hansen, Kari Stefansen and May-Len Skilbrei are the authors of the award winning article

“Non-reporting of sexual violence as action: acts, selves, futures in the making” published (OA) in Nordic Journal of Criminology, Volume 22, 2021, pp 42-57.

Congratulations, Maria Hansen! How does it feel to win this award?

Great! Very surprising. It’s my first article as first author, so it is unexpected and highly motivating. Very grateful for Kari and May-Len’s contributions. Proud of the article, and happy about the price.

Could you please briefly explain the study and your motivation?

In a culture where reporting rape is emphasized as important, and the right thing to do (in order to place blame, move on, as well as prevent future rapes by punishing rapist and deterring potential ones) it is important to look into why some women refrain from reporting rape.

What will you study next?

I work on a PhD on drunken sex, as a broader approach to grey area rape. I look into what the overlapping norms that make drunken sex common and desired, while simultaneously make drunken grey area rape and rape possible and not uncommon. My next articles will be on normative heterosexuality, and on the effect of place in stories of sexual exploration and exploitation.