Citadels of Pride: Sexual Abuse, Accountability, and Reconciliation

by Martha C. Nussbaum

Overview

Finalist for the American Bar Association's 2022 Silver Gavel Award

A groundbreaking exploration of sexual violence by one of our most celebrated experts in law and philosophy.

In this essential philosophical and practical reckoning, Martha C. Nussbaum, renowned for her eloquence and clarity of moral vision, shows how sexual abuse and harassment derive from using people as things to one’s own benefit—like other forms of exploitation, they are rooted in the ugly emotion of pride. She exposes three “Citadels of Pride” and the men who hoard power at the apex of each. In the judiciary, the arts, and sports, Nussbaum analyzes how pride perpetuates systemic sexual abuse, narcissism, and toxic masculinity. The courage of many has brought about some reforms, but justice is still elusive—warped sometimes by money, power, or inertia; sometimes by a collective desire for revenge.

By analyzing the effects of law and public policy on our ever-evolving definitions of sexual violence, Nussbaum clarifies how gaps in U.S. law allow this violence to proliferate; why criminal laws dealing with sexual assault and Title VII, the federal law that is the basis for sexual harassment doctrine, need to be complemented by an understanding of the distorted emotions that breed abuse; and why anger and vengeance rarely achieve lasting change.

Citadels of Pride offers a damning indictment of the culture of male power that insulates high-profile abusers from accountability. Yet Nussbaum offers a hopeful way forward, envisioning a future in which, as survivors mobilize to tell their stories and institutions pursue fair and nuanced reform, we might fully recognize the equal dignity of all people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324004110
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	1,094,042
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, appointed in the law school and philosophy department. She is the author of numerous books and articles on moral, legal, and political philosophy, and recipient of many awards, including the Berggruen Prize, one of the world’s most significant recognitions for public intellectuals. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part I Sites of Struggle

Chapter 1 Objectification: Treating People as Things 3

Chapter 2 Vices of Domination: Pride and Greed 20

Chapter 3 Vices of Victimhood: The Weakness of the Furies 41

Part II Law Starts to Confront the Issues

The Domain of Legal Action 59

Chapter 4 Accountability for Sexual Assault: A Brief Legal History 66

Chapter 5 Women in the Proud Male Workplace: Sexual Harassment as Sex Discrimination 85

Interlude: Thoughts about Sexual Assault on College Campuses 112

Part III Recalcitrant Citadels: The Judiciary, Arts, Sports

Abuses of Power and Lack of Accountability 125

Chapter 6 Pride and Privilege: The Federal Judiciary 129

Chapter 7 Narcissism and Impunity: The Performing Arts 150

Chapter 8 Masculinity and Corruption: The Sick World of College Sports 183

Conclusion. The Way Forward: Accountability without Malice, Generosity without Capitulation 221

Acknowledgments 231

Notes 235

Index 263

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2021

Nussbaum (The Cosmopolitan Tradition), a professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago, examines in this scholarly yet impassioned account the “culture of sexual violence and sexual harassment” in America and the “institutional and structural solutions” necessary to reform it. She explores the concept of objectification and the harms it causes, and how male pride fuels the denial of a woman’s autonomy and subjectivity. Nussbaum also digs into changing standards of consent and accountability as she tracks the history of legal efforts to combat sexual harassment from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which defined sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination) to the #MeToo movement. Probing systemic failures that cause sexual misconduct to go unaddressed, Nussbaum discusses cases from the federal judiciary, where clerks are held to strict standards of confidentiality; the performing arts, where “certain people with great power and wealth can influence everyone’s chances”; and Division I college sports, where the system is so structurally corrupt, Nussbaum argues, that it should be done away with altogether. Though some sections may be too dense for lay readers, Nussbaum persuasively argues that the law, when applied correctly, can provide justice “that seeks reconciliation and a shared future” for men and women. This carefully reasoned account convinces. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Nussbaum is a clear and compelling thinker whose work on the law has always been refreshing and bracing."

Times Literary Supplement - Madhavi Menon

"In Citadels of Pride, Martha C. Nussbaum shines a light on long-standing and deep-rooted issues of sexual harassment and assault that continue to plague big-time sports and lays out a provocative plan for controlling institutions to become leaders in effecting change. Not everyone will agree with her recommendations, but this book should be mandatory reading for anyone who cares deeply about the need for reform."

Adam Silver

2021-03-03
The renowned philosopher looks at the intersection of toxic male pride and sexual abuse and harassment.

Nussbaum explains that her latest book discusses legal technicalities to encourage fair judicial solutions: “So when you think that this text is abstract, please try to remember that it embodies a noble moral idea!” But much of the book is more journalistic than scholarly, and in a section on NCAA sports, the author sounds more like Bob Costas in a reflective mood than a public intellectual. Nussbaum fairly argues that sexual abuse involves “treating people as things,” which reflects overweening pride, and legal remedies such as “victim impact” statements can “taint a criminal trial with retributive overreach,” jeopardizing the process. The author clearly shows how toxic masculinity infects three “citadels of pride”—the federal judiciary, the performing arts, and the “diseased” world of college sports. Nussbaum perceptively notes, for example, that Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and James Levine were taken to task only when they were “too old and ill to make money for others any longer.” In her most controversial chapter, the author urges Division 1 colleges to limit the abuse by replacing their football and basketball programs with the kind of minor league teams that exist in baseball. Nussbaum’s sections on sports suggest that she’s strayed too far from philosophy to write with her usual aplomb. In those chapters, the writing is flatter, and her argument about college football doesn’t fully consider the vastly different situations between major programs like Alabama and Ohio State (many of which are unquestionably diseased) and smaller D-1 schools, where eliminating athletic scholarships could have negative consequences for students who are otherwise unable to attend college. Many readers, however, won’t care that this is not her best work: There’s a variety of insights to be gleaned from any Nussbaum book, and her comments here are sure to set sports-talk radio shows on fire in Tuscaloosa, Columbus, and beyond.

An uneven examination of a topic that continues to require vigilant attention.

Kirkus Reviews

"On many levels, those interested in justice-seeking law reform in the area of sexual assault and harassment can look to this book for inspiration. Nussbaum has a rare ability to articulate genuine compassion in connection with complex ethical situations, and to spell out what that compassion requires. She writes with crystalline style."

Globe and Mail - Aidan Johnson

"Martha C. Nussbaum brings unflinching clarity and wisdom to illuminate shame and pride, the operations of power and retribution surrounding sexual violence and intimidation. Nussbaum’s distinctive fusion of law and philosophy exposes failures of recent reforms and points toward constructive future paths."

Martha Minow