First published in 1994 Stirring It debates the challenges which confront feminism and Women's Studies in the 1990s. In the face of current worldwide political and social upheavals, Stirring It poses questions about women, their bodies, their identities, and positions which need to be addressed by contemporary feminists. The chapters therefore challenge the orthodoxies and theories which are exploded by contemporary feminist practice. They raise new issues for feminist debate. The volume is divided into four sections: ‘Feminist Politics in Action’ investigates the inter-relationship between politics and action with reference to issues such as the women's movement in Britain and women's position in and in relation to Ireland; ‘Disrupting Sexual Identities’ provides critiques of heterosexuality, monogamy, and conceptualization of the female body; ‘Imaging and Imagining’ explores the politics of women's cultural production and ‘Women's Studies and Feminist Practice’ analyzes the often fraught connections between theory and practice. This is a must read for scholars and researchers of Women's Studies, Sociology, and Gender Studies.

In the sixteenth century and seventeenth centuries it was women who were almost exclusively persecuted as witches. However, the witch craze has been subjected to surprisingly little feminist analysis. In Lewd Women and Wicked Witches, Marianne Hester reviews and develops revolutionary feminist thinking. Accordingly, she shows how witches can be seen as victims of the oppression of a male dominated society.
Concentrating on English source material, the author shows how witch-hunts may be seen as an historically specific example of male dominance. Relying on an eroticised construct of women's inferiority, they were part of the ongoing attempt by men to maintain their power over women.

In this edited collection leading authors in the field draw on their experience to address key methodological questions and challenges that have arisen from the recent proliferation of research projects and government funded initiatives on violence against women. Topics include: evaluation research and feminist methodology; using quantitative and qualitative approaches; ethics, safety and access in sensitive research; interviewing practitioners, perpetrators, policy makers, and survivors (including children, women and young people); utilising discourse analysis to interpret data; undertaking cross national and comparative research; practical guidelines for practitioners/academics wishing to consult with women survivors; gearing research to facilitate positive change in policy and practice; and using the media for dissemination. increased focus on gender related violence politically and academicallythis book addresses head on the complex methodological issues involvedleading experts in the field as contributors

In this edited collection leading authors in the field draw on their experience to address key methodological questions and challenges that have arisen from the recent proliferation of research projects and government funded initiatives on violence against women. Topics include: evaluation research and feminist methodology; using quantitative and qualitative approaches; ethics, safety and access in sensitive research; interviewing practitioners, perpetrators, policy makers, and survivors (including children, women and young people); utilising discourse analysis to interpret data; undertaking cross national and comparative research; practical guidelines for practitioners/academics wishing to consult with women survivors; gearing research to facilitate positive change in policy and practice; and using the media for dissemination. increased focus on gender related violence politically and academicallythis book addresses head on the complex methodological issues involvedleading experts in the field as contributors

During the 1970s and 1980s feminists increasingly came to recognize how the eroticization of women's inferiority, and male sexual violence are both central to the maintenance and perpetuation of male power over women. These issues were largely taken up by radical and especially revolutionary feminists. Marianne Hester, in this book, attempts to explain how women's experience of male sexual violence, through rape and sexual abuse, can lead to an understanding of male power over women. Her analysis may also be helpful in understanding male power in other historical periods. The book focuses on two very separate events and periods: the development of a revolutionary feminist theory of sexuality in response to male sexual violence in the present day, and the witch hunts of early modern England. While stressing the socio-historical specificity and distinct characteristics of men's and women's lives within the 20th century on the one hand and the 16th and 17th centuries on the other, she argues that the witch hunts may be seen as an historically specific example of male violence. This book should be of interest to students of women's studies, history, and sociology.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence This book provides the first detailed discussion of domestic violence and abuse in same sex relationships, offering a unique comparison between this and domestic violence and abuse experienced by heterosexual women and men. It examines how experiences of domestic violence and abuse may be shaped by gender, sexuality and age, including whether and how victims/survivors seek help, and asks, what's love got to do with it? A pioneering methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative research, provides a reliable and valid approach that challenges the heteronormative model in domestic violence research, policy and practice. The authors develops a new framework of analysis - practices of love - to explore empirical data. Outlining the implications of the research for practice and service development, the book will be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in the field of domestic violence, especially those who provide services for sexual minorities, as well as students and academics interested in issues of domestic and interpersonal violence.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence This book provides the first detailed discussion of domestic violence and abuse in same sex relationships, offering a unique comparison between this and domestic violence and abuse experienced by heterosexual women and men. It examines how experiences of domestic violence and abuse may be shaped by gender, sexuality and age, including whether and how victims/survivors seek help, and asks, what's love got to do with it? A pioneering methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative research, provides a reliable and valid approach that challenges the heteronormative model in domestic violence research, policy and practice. The authors develops a new framework of analysis - practices of love - to explore empirical data. Outlining the implications of the research for practice and service development, the book will be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in the field of domestic violence, especially those who provide services for sexual minorities, as well as students and academics interested in issues of domestic and interpersonal violence.

This collection of essays brings together both established figures and new researchers to offer fresh perspectives on the ever-controversial subject of the history of witchcraft. Using Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic as a starting point, the contributors explore the changes of the last 25 years in the understanding of early modern witchcraft, and suggest new approaches, especially concerning the cultural dimensions of the subject. The study suggests that witchcraft cases must be understood as power struggles over gender and ideology, as well as social relationships, with a crucial role played by alternative representations. It recalls that witchcraft was always a contested idea, never fully established in early modern culture but much harder to dislodge than has usually been assumed. The essays are European in scope, with examples from Germany, France and the Spanish expansion into the New World, as well as a strong core of English material.

This collection of essays brings together both established figures and new researchers to offer fresh perspectives on the ever-controversial subject of the history of witchcraft. Using Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic as a starting point, the contributors explore the changes of the last 25 years in the understanding of early modern witchcraft, and suggest new approaches, especially concerning the cultural dimensions of the subject. The study suggests that witchcraft cases must be understood as power struggles over gender and ideology, as well as social relationships, with a crucial role played by alternative representations. It recalls that witchcraft was always a contested idea, never fully established in early modern culture but much harder to dislodge than has usually been assumed. The essays are European in scope, with examples from Germany, France and the Spanish expansion into the New World, as well as a strong core of English material.

Nordic countries are generally regarded as global welfare role models in terms of their image of being gender equal, child-friendly and culturally tolerant. Consequently, the influence of Nordic welfare systems in transnational academic and policy debates has been immense. By focusing on the vital welfare issue of violence by men to female partners and/or their children, this book seeks to reconsider this over-simplistic image. Drawing on new research from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, the book critically examines how men's violence in families is perceived and responded to in the Nordic context. It pays particular attention to the links between violence to women and violence to children, children's perspectives, professional discourses and responses, and legal and policy approaches. With clear links between research, policy and practice, the book is highly relevant to a wide audience, including academics, researchers and students in the fields of social work, health, criminology, sociology, social policy, gender studies, European studies and law. It is also recommended reading for welfare managers, practitioners, and policy makers.

In this volume, the authors present an overview of the innovative work taking place in relation to domestic violence and child protection. This book looks at new prevention initiatives and how interventions for children exposed to domestic violence have been developed. It shows how services for abusive fathers have evolved and provides discussion and critique of a number of new initiatives in the field of interagency risk assessment. With international perspectives and examples drawn from social care, health care and voluntary sectors, this book brings together established ideas with recent thinking to provide an authoritative summary of current domestic violence and child protection practice. As a valuable source of guidance on how to work safely with children living with domestic violence, this is a key reference for social workers, health professionals and policy makers.

Violence against women is a pervasive problem in society and responding appropriately to those who experience it and those who perpetrate it is a constant challenge for social work, health and related professions today. This volume seeks to address issues surrounding violence against women at all levels, from its root causes to the specific needs arising in victims of gendered abuse from a particular social or ethnic group. Drawing on the expertise of a range of 'front line' service providers and practitioners as well as academic researchers, it seeks to provide those working in social work and related professions with up-to-date coverage of the major issues pertaining to violence against women, and suggest ways to tackle the rise in violence against women by translating knowledge into effective training and practice. This important book will be essential reading for practising social workers and allied professions, as well as academics and students.

This fully updated Reader provides a comprehensive review of recent research and legislation relating to domestic violence and its consequences for children, and identifies the implications for practice. It is divided into three parts. Part One describes evidence for the links between domestic violence and the concomitant abuse of children and assesses the effects on children's future well-being. Part Two is a comprehensive and accessible guide to relevant current criminal and civil legislation. Highlighting the success of multi-agency approaches, the final part details practical issues for interventions with children and their carers, male perpetrators, and, new to this edition, women. Endorsed by children's charities including the NSPCC and Barnardo's, Making an Impact enables professionals working with children to develop informed, sophisticated and collaborative child care and protection responses for children who are experiencing domestic violence.