Living with Men. Reflections on the Pelicot Trial

Reading and discussion

The crimes against Gisèle Pelicot - drugged by her husband for years and raped by him and nearly 70 other men - shocked the world. The subsequent trial became one of the most closely watched proceedings of recent decades, not only because of the severity of the crimes, but because it became clear that what was being tried there affects millions of women.

Manon Garcia traveled to Avignon as an observer and meticulously documented the trial. In her book, she combines precise observations of the proceedings, the defendants and their reactions with reflections on the role of women in patriarchal society - and with her own experiences of the everyday threat of becoming a victim. From this emerges an existential question: how can we still live with men?

Manon Garcia, born in 1985, is a professor of practical philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt after positions at Harvard and Yale. In France, she is regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of her generation; her books have been translated into numerous languages. In 2022, she received the Prix des Rencontres philosophiques de Monaco for "The Conversation of the Sexes. A Philosophy of Consent". Recently published: "We Are Not Born Submissive. How Patriarchy Shapes Women's Lives" and "Living with Men. Reflections on the Pelicot Trial" (2025).