This new book presents analyses crucial for understanding the current situation with respect to this insidious and cowardly phenomenon.

The more we learn about family violence, the more it becomes apparent that it is a complex and multifaceted issue. Family violence is more than woman abuse. It is also more than child abuse, sibling abuse, parent abuse, or elder abuse. It is all of these violations and more. Nevertheless, family violence is gendered; most abused victims are female and most perpetrators are male. Family violence is not merely personal. It is also a consequence of social inequality, and in that sense is socially constructed. Based on research projects conducted over ten years, Understanding Abuse profiles the work done by researchers of issues related to woman abuse and family violence. The contributors demonstrate the strength of community-based, action-oriented collaborations by carefully identifying the multiplicity of causes, clearly articulating the issues raised by abused women, and seeking to identify realistic solutions. Not only does this work provide invaluable information for policy makers on successful versus unsuccessful programs to prevent violence, it also provides academic and community researchers with detailed data on the intricacies of academic-community action research partnerships.

Although domestic violence is not new, it has only recently been recognized as a problem meriting public attention. Great strides have been made in some areas such as protection orders and shelter provision but the problem as a whole has proven extremely resistant to countermeasures. In Domestic Violence and the Politics of Privacy, Kristin A. Kelly argues that understanding this resistance requires a recognition of the tension within liberalism between preserving the privacy of the family and protecting vulnerable individuals. Practical, real-world information gained from frontline workers underpins the author's suggestions for how to address this tension. In emphasizing the roles of democratic institutions and community participation in determining the shape of future policy about domestic violence, Kelly replaces the traditional opposition of the public and private spheres with a triangular relationship. The state, the family, and the community comprise the three corners.Kelly builds upon interviews with more than forty individuals working directly on the problem of domestic violence. Her model is further formed by a critical analysis of the theoretical and legal frameworks used to understand and regulate the relationship between public and private."

Women's rights advocates in the United States have long argued that violence against women denies women equality and citizenship, but it took a movement of feminist activists and lawyers, beginning in the late 1960s, to set about realizing this vision and transforming domestic violence from a private problem into a public harm. This important book examines the pathbreaking legal process that has brought the pervasiveness and severity of domestic violence to public attention and has led the United States Congress, the Supreme Court, and the United Nations to address the problem. Elizabeth Schneider has played a pioneering role in this process. From an insider's perspective she explores how claims of rights for battered women have emerged from feminist activism, and she assesses the possibilities and limitations of feminist legal advocacy to improve battered women's lives and transform law and culture. The book chronicles the struggle to incorporate feminist arguments into law, particularly in cases of battered women who kill their assailants and battered women who are mothers. With a broad perspective on feminist lawmaking as a vehicle of social change, Schneider examines subjects as wide-ranging as criminal prosecution of batterers, the civil rights remedy of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, the O. J. Simpson trials, and a class on battered women and the law that she taught at Harvard Law School. Feminist lawmaking on woman abuse, Schneider argues, should reaffirm the historic vision of violence and gender equality that originally animated activist and legal work.

"This is the first book I am aware of that focuses primarily on the issue of domestic violence in Mexico and Central America. . . . It is a courageous undertaking for the author to write on this topic, and she carries it off with grace, humility, and honesty. . . . This book has far more potential to be of interest to a general readership than most academic books." --Lynn Stephen, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oregon Marriage among the Maya of Central America is a model of complementarity between a man and a woman. This union demands mutual respect and mutual service. Yet some husbands beat their wives. In this pioneering book, Laura McClusky examines the lives of several Mopan Maya women in Belize. Using engaging ethnographic narratives and a highly accessible analysis of the lives that have unfolded before her, McClusky explores Mayan women's strategies for enduring, escaping, and avoiding abuse. Factors such as gender, age inequalities, marriage patterns, family structure, educational opportunities, and economic development all play a role in either preventing or contributing to domestic violence in the village. McClusky argues that using narrative ethnography, instead of cold statistics or dehumanized theoretical models, helps to keep the focus on people, "rehumanizing" our understanding of violence. This highly accessible book brings to the social sciences new ways of thinking about, representing, and studying abuse, marriage, death, gender roles, and violence.

This is an exciting and innovative book which provides a thorough introduction to contemporary social theory by examining the way in which the widespread existence of violence against women is explored. A wide range of theories from liberalism to evolutionary psychology are considered culminating in the development of a distinctive feminist realist position. The theories discussed are tested against a large-scale survey, the findings of which challenge many conventional wisdoms as to the patterning of violence in contemporary society.

Skillfully interweaving Bernice's own eloquent words about her harrowing abuse with descriptions of other women's similar experiences and a rich synthesis of statistical findings, Jody Raphael demonstrates convincingly that domestic violence and dependence on public assistance are intricately linked. In a work that is sure to stir controversy, she challenges traditional views and stereotypes (conservative and liberal) about welfare recipients, arguing that many poor women are neither lazy nor paralyzed by a "culture of poverty," but instead are trapped by their batterers.
Bernice's ordeals at the hands of her abusive partner -- brutal beatings, violent rapes, threats on her life, stalking, blocked access to birth control, and sabotage of efforts to find a job -- resonate throughout the work. The experiences she relates provide crucial insights into the welfare system and illuminate its failures, successes, and potential in helping women like her.
This disquieting yet inspiring book puts a human face on the heated public policy debate over welfare reform. Above all, it is Bernice's life story and, through her voice, the story of countless other battered women who are isolated in poverty and welfare by the power and control of their abusers.

This collection gives important insight into the new issues and questions that have become central to understandings of women, violence and resistance. It focuses on the connections between research and the development of strategies for change by providing excellent examples of policy-relevant feminist research, rooted in both academe and activism. The emphasis throughout is on the link between research and strategies for action at the local, national and international level.

The book gathers together the many exciting ideas, discussions and developments arising from the work of the researchers and activists who are part of the British Sociological Association Violence Against Women Study Group. The contributing authors share a commitment to research that centres on the material reality of women's lives and assists the generation of strategies for action. It complements the earlier volume, Women, Violence and Male Power, extending the latter's coverage in important ways by addressing differences as well as commonalities between women, and the complexities of feminist analysis and activism in a changing context.

Women, Violence and Strategies for Action is of direct relevance to practitioners working in the professions of probation, social work and law, as well as students and researchers in the fields of women's studies, sociology, social policy, social work, criminology and socio-legal studies. It will also be of interest to women's organizations, including local inter-agency forums.

A comprehensive, compassionate look at domestic violence--including historical, psychological, social, familial, and legal issues--this well-organized, accessible book offers the most current information available on prevention and recovery, along with practical steps for escaping a violent domestic situation.

Over the past 20 years, much work has focused on domestic violence, yet little attention has been paid to the causes, manifestations, and resolutions to marital violence among ethnic minorities, especially recent immigrants. Margaret Abraham's Speaking the Unspeakable is the first book to focus on South Asian women's experiences of domestic violence, defined by the author as physical, sexual, verbal, mental, or economic coercion, power, or control perpetrated on a woman by her spouse or extended kin. Abraham explains how immigration issues, cultural assumptions, and unfamiliarity with the American social, legal, and economic systems, coupled with stereotyping, make these women especially vulnerable to domestic violence. Through the actual stories of South Asian women, we learn of their weaknesses and strengths and their encounters of domestic violence within the larger cultural, social, economic, and political context. We see both the individual strategies of resistance against their abusers as well as the pivotal role South Asian women's help organizations play in helping these women escape abusive relationships. Abraham also describes the central role played by South Asian activism as it emerged in the 1980s in the United States, and addresses the practices both within and outside of the South Asian community that stereotype, discriminate, and oppress South Asians in their everyday lives.

This report aims to raise awareness of the nature and prevalence of domestic violence, to break down some of the stereotypes that exist about it, and to discuss the role of health care professionals in identifying and dealing with the problem

Based on fifteen years of experience treating survivors of family violence, James Leehan provides this excellent resource to aid all individuals trying to overcome the effects of abusive behavior--behavior that is often supported by religion and generates spiritual conflicts for survivors. He helps survivors identify their feelings and behaviors and examines Jewish and Christian religious resources that can promote healing and spiritual growth. Leehan also reviews the spiritual dimension of the pain that survivors of family violence confront daily and the special skills they developed to survive in a hostile environment.

"Women at Risk brilliantly recasts the debate about violence against women and makes a major contribution to feminist thinking about women's health. Practitioners and theorists who want to understand women's health issues from a stunning new perspective must read this book." --Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., President, Institute for Women's Policy Research, Washington, DC "Women at Risk is a unique and important blend of research, practice, and advocacy. This volume makes a significant contribution to the health care profession's understanding of violence against women. This is a long-awaited book by two major scholars and practitioners in the field of violence against women." --Richard J. Gelles, Ph.D., Director, Family Violence Research Program, University of Rhode Island "Women at Risk is a thought-provoking investigation of the violence that may bring women to emergency departments with injuries or suicide attempts. It challenges assumptions that patriarchy causes violence against women and that women are passive victims. And it dares to acknowledge violence by women. It goes beyond a plea for awareness of violence and outlines steps that hospital staff can follow to identify, care for, and advocate for battered women. Evan Stark and Anne Flitcraft strongly affirm the status of wife assault as a public health issue." --N. Zoe Hilton, Ph.D., Mental Health Center of Penetanguishene, Ontario Filled with groundbreaking research, Women at Risk challenges current explanations of domestic violence and argues that reframing health in terms of coercion and violence is key to the prevention of some of women's most vexing problems. Presenting major findings of studies conducted over 15 years, authors Evan Stark and Anne Flitcraft maintain that the medical, psychiatric, and behavioral problems exhibited by battered women stem from a so-called "dual trauma," in which the coercive strategies used by their partners converge with discriminatory institutional practices. This timely volume explores the theoretical perspectives as well as health consequences of woman abuse and considers clinical interventions to reduce the incidence of homicide, child abuse, substance abuse, and female suicide attempts associated with battering. In addition, the authors progressively promote the notion of "shelter" not as a facility or service, but as a political space to be opened within families, communities, and the economy--a space where toleration for male coercion ends. Medical professionals, mental health practitioners, social workers, and researchers, as well as advanced students in health, psychology, or the social sciences, will find this compelling volume a thorough resource.

A practical book for both those who work with abusive men and those who work with battered women, Confronting Abusive Beliefs presents a unique model for exploring and changing attitudes that influence abusiveness. Use this proactive program to encourage men to challenge and alter entrenched beliefs about the roles of men and women in male-female relationships. Through interactional sessions, this book cultivates an awareness that helps men change abusive behaviors and attitudes. Accessible session-by-session outlines and handouts bolstered by a sound theoretical basis create a comprehensive package for group leaders, new and established practitioners, and advanced students. Sessions address issues such as expressed emotions, recurring thoughts, communication patterns, and conflict resolution and the belief systems that sustain them. An important contribution to the literature on abuse intervention and prevention, Confronting Abusive Beliefs provides a model for developing respectful relationships that plays an integral role in the therapeutic processes of abusive men. "Mary Nomme Russell presents a solid framework for looking at batterers' treatment with a conceptually sound and interesting premise." --Alyce D. LaViolette, Alternatives Counseling Associates, Long Beach, California "What with the courts requiring treatment as a condition of parole for abusive men this becomes an important text." --Ron MacIssac, review in What's Happening?, Victoria, B.C.

The Domestic Assault of Women relates social and criminal justice policy to empirically tested social psychological theory about the causes and effects of wife assault. Donald G. Dutton argues that only by understanding the psychology of both the aggressors and the victims of wife assault can we generate informed social and criminal justice policy. By linking the psychological factors that support assaultive habits to police arrest policy and subsequent treatment, Dutton shows how police/therapist intervention can interrupt assaultive behaviour and prevent recidivism.

"This is an amazing study, a memoir which provides insight into family abuse in 18th century America.... a significant volume which enhances our knowledge of social and religious life in New England. It is also a moving contribution to the literature of spirituality." Review and Expositor

"Students of American culture are indebted to Ann Taves for editing this fascinating and revealing document and for providing it with full annotation and an illuminating introduction." American Studies International

"This is above all an eminently teachable text, which raises important issues in the history of religion, women, and the family and about the place of violence in American life." New England Quarterly

..". stimulating, enlightening, and provocative... " Journal of Ecumenical Studies

Abigail Abbot Bailey was a devout 18th-century Congregationalist woman whose husband abused her, committed adultery with their female servants, and practiced incest with one of their daughters. This new, fully annotated edition of her memoirs, featuring a detailed introduction, offers a thoughtful analysis of the role of religion amidst the trials of the author s everyday life."

This volume presents important findings on conflict and abuse in families of the aged. A valuable resource for those in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and social work as well as psychotherapists who work with the aged, the staff of elder abuse programs, adult protective service workers, and legislators. the authors provide a fresh, historically balanced, empirical and theoretical framework for the view that elder abuse and neglect is an extreme manifestation of family conflict.

"Lisa P. Gwyther, Journal of Gernontology"

This volume presents important findings on conflict and abuse in families of the aged. A valuable resource for those in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and social work as well as psychotherapists who work with the aged, the staff of elder abuse programs, adult protective service workers, and legislators.

In recent years, dedicated revenues to the Highway Trust Fund have been eroding, resulting in fewer resources to fund surface transportation projects and requiring, between 2008 and 2014, transfers of over $50 billion in general revenues. This book reviews how Highway Trust Fund monies are being used to help ensure that sound choices and investment decisions about future funding are made. The book examines what is known about the types of projects, activities, and federal administrative functions and expenses supported by the Department of Transportation (DOT) using Highway Trust Fund monies in fiscal year 2013.

Cry Salty Tears is the tale of a mother's survival and eventual triumph over almost unbelievable domestic hardship. Not only did Dinah O'Dowd face the harsh and unforgiving elements of her background - an upbringing in poverty-stricken 50s Dublin, teenage pregnancy and a lone journey to London, but she also fought like a tigress against the shadows cast across four decades of her life by the dark central figure of her existence, her psychotically abusive husband Gerry. Over the years Dinah suffered repeated physical assault, prolonged mental torture and destructive ignorance, yet successfully raised a family of six and nurtured the unique personality of a world superstar, her son Boy George. Finally she has reached equilibrium in the wake of the death of her husband, and is now ready to tell her story, striking a chord with women everywhere. Unflinchingly honest, heart-rending in the telling and packed with inconsolable tragedy and biting wit, Cry Salty Tears recounts the long and painful journey Dinah had to take. From the moment when she first set eyes on the charming, blue-eyed Gerry, to the first blow he struck when she was pregnant with their child, the suicide attempt that depression and all encompassing fear led her to and ultimately to her release from his psychotic clutches, Cry Salty Tears tells how, despite it all, this extraordinary woman could at last reclaim her life.

Following her escape from her horrific life with an abusive husband, Patricia Hughes tells her personal story of abuse--and how she left--in this inspiring and moving story. Stuck in an abusive relationship and convinced that she was responsible, the author discusses how she struggled and finally freed herself of her abusive partner and of abusive relationships forever. Drawing from the lessons she learned, the author provides a seven-step program that includes identifying abusive behavior, recognizing abusers, preparing for emergencies, getting help after a crisis, making the decision to stay or leave, learning to heal, and remaining abuse free, providing women with the inspirational and practical advice they need to understand the effects and complexities of abuse and supporting them during a difficult time.

A look at gun control, campus sexual assault, immigration, and more that considers the future of responses to domestic violence Domestic violence is commonly assumed to be a bipartisan, nonpolitical issue, with politicians of all stripes claiming to work to end family violence. Nevertheless, the Violence Against Women Act expired for over 500 days between 2012 and 2013 due to differences between the U.S. Senate and House, demonstrating that legal protections for domestic abuse survivors are both highly political and highly vulnerable. Racial and gender politics, the move toward criminalization, reproductive justice concerns, gun control debates, and political interests are increasingly shaping responses to domestic violence, demonstrating the need for greater consideration of the interplay of politics, domestic violence, and how the law works in people's lives. The Politicization of Safety provides a critical historical perspective on domestic violence responses in the United States. It grapples with the ways in which child welfare systems and civil and criminal justice responses intersect, and considers the different, overlapping ways in which survivors of domestic abuse are forced to cope with institutionalized discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status. The book also examines movement politics and the feminist movement with respect to domestic violence policies. The tensions discussed in this book, similar to those involved in the #metoo movement, include questions of accountability, reckoning, redemption, healing, and forgiveness. What is the future of feminism and the movements against gender-based violence and domestic violence? Readers are invited to question assumptions about how society and the legal system respond to intimate partner violence and to challenge the domestic violence field to move beyond old paradigms and contend with larger justice issues.