Diana E. H. Russell

Feminist Writer and Activist

Diana E. H. Russell is a feminist writer and activist.

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, she moved to England in 1957 and then to the United States in 1961. Russell is a pioneer in research on sexual violence against women and girls. She has written numerous books and articles on violence against women, including on marital rape, femicide, incest, misogynist murders of women, and pornography.

She was co-recipient of the 1986 C. Wright Mills Award for her book The Secret Trauma, and she received the 2001 Humanist Heroine Award from the American Humanist Association. Russell was also an organizer of the First International Tribunal on Crimes against Women, in Brussels in March 1976.

Featured Work

MAY 1, 1980 Article

Banned in South Africa: A Personal Account

David Russell was a courageous white South African Anglican priest. On October 19, 1977, the government cracked down on the press, organizations, and individuals who fought apartheid. ...