Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 March 2022
Summary
The mythology of child abuse must surely begin with the story of Medea. Her grisly legend, as conveyed by Euripides and by Seneca, is instructive of the shock and outrage expressed, both publicly and privately, in response to the spectrum of damage that has been inflicted upon children, by adults, from antiquity up until the present day. It is instructive further in relation to the intelligibility of such abhorrent acts as emanating not so much from devils and stereotypical perverts as from members of that same outraged public – real people.
Medea, a sorceress, having aided Jason in his quest to obtain the Golden Fleece, became his consort and, subsequently, mother of their two sons. Jason later abandoned her and she, in a ferocious state of negative passion, burned down their palace, murdered the King of Corinth and the princess, her rival, and then fled to Athens with her own children whom she ritualistically slaughtered en route. This catalogue of carnage and destruction was not, tragically enough, directed specifically at its subjects but rather at Jason for his betrayal. A nemesis with its victim at one remove; the immediate sufferers being secondary to the noumenon of the act, but suffering supremely, nevertheless. This resonates with the diffuse, and often unintended, consequences wrought through the exercise of modern forms of social control. (Chris Jenks, 2005: 92)
This classic fable tells us that child abuse is as old as civilisation itself. It also tells us that driven by emotion human beings are capable of transgressing the most deeply embedded cultural codes in society. Medea's pursuit of revenge drove her to kill her innocent children. Her wanton violence amidst the pathos of this tragic tale is so shocking that it confronts us with deeply unsettling questions about humanity. It also highlights the uses and abuses of adult power over children. In doing so, the Medea fable touches on deeply embedded cultural taboos. Finally, the Medea narrative leaves us searching for explanations. How could any parent wreak such violence on an innocent child? Why does child abuse happen? What can be done to stop it? Is it possible to understand child abuse sociologically? Jenks’ (2005) narration of this classical fable about Medea starts the process of contextualising these questions.
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- Dark Secrets of ChildhoodMedia Power, Child Abuse and Public Scandals, pp. 1 - 25Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2015