Between horror and revolt, the Mazan affair shook France. This extraordinary trial, marked by chilling facts, today finds an unprecedented echo in a book which promises to be captivating. Discover this work this Wednesday, January 22.
From September to December 2024, the Avignon court was the scene of a gripping trial. Dominique Pelicot, the main accused, drugged and subjected his wife Gisèle Pelicot to repeated rapes by strangers. These acts, orchestrated for almost ten years, took place in their family home in Mazan. In addition, the perpetrator recorded the assaults on video, accumulating gruesome evidence for his own pleasure.
This historic trial, which deeply affected public opinion, resulted in the conviction of Dominique Pelicot to twenty years in prison. At the same time, fifty identified accomplices received sentences ranging from three to fifteen years. These judgments mark a decisive turning point in the fight against sexual violence and chemical submission in France. The fallout from this affair, both legal and societalcontinue to fuel a necessary debate on these crimes and their prevention.
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A book to understand the impact of this affair
This Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the work of Éditions de l’Observatoire, Mazan trial, the explosion by Cynthia Illouz will be available in bookstores. Essayist specializing in issues of gender equality in management, Cynthia Illouz offers an incisive analysis of this affair. The author explores in depth the workings of systemic violence, where chemical submission, rape culture and the objectification of women tragically intersect.
“This affair is not only marked by the scale of the acts, or the “normality” of the attackers, but also by the flaws of the institutions which stifle speech, blame the victims and erase consent.explains the author. Through 208 pages, she denounces sexist behaviors rooted in our societiesbut also their trivialization in practices such as violent pornography. This book is more than a recounting of the facts. It questions our tolerance towards these acts and calls for collective awareness.
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-A wave of publications to come on the Mazan trial
Beyond Cynthia Illouz's work, two other Books will offer complementary views on this justice. On March 5, Flammarion will publish Living with men, reflections on the Pelicot trialwritten by the philosopher Manon Garcia. Professor at the Free University of Berlin, Manon Garcia wonders what this affair reveals about our conceptions of rapefeminism and sexuality. “What path remains for us to go? ?”she asks in this engaged essay.
Then, on June 4, a third work will be published by Éditions Marchialy : Write Mazan by journalist Élise Costa. Having followed this case closely, the author offers an immersive dive into the details of the trial. “How to tell these facts ? How to write about the complexity of debates and human relationships ?” she asks herself. More than a simple legal chronicle, his book reveals the behind the scenes and the human issues behind this affair which marked French justice. With these three publications, the Mazan trial goes beyond the judicial framework to become an object of study and reflection.
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