Full Description
Violence Against Women: Countering Historical and Contemporary Missteps on the Road to Social Justice examines violence against women (VAW) as a systemic and intersectional human rights crisis. Drawing on sociology, law, public health, and feminist theory, the book emphasizes structural, political, and representational dimensions of intersectionality to show how racism, sexism, colonialism, ableism, and economic inequality converge to shape patterns of harm and help-seeking. The book traces how language, media narratives, institutional practices, and state policies reproduce vulnerability and constrain justice, while centering the insights and leadership of survivors whose perspectives have too often been marginalized.
Organized into three parts, the book moves from foundational frameworks to analyses of intersecting systems of power and, finally, to pathways for justice, healing, and transformation. It examines structural inequities in law, healthcare, and social policy; political debates surrounding criminalization and state response; and representational dynamics that silence some survivors while amplifying others. Highlighting survivor-led, culturally specific, and abolitionist approaches, the volume offers alternative models of safety and accountability rooted in community knowledge. By synthesizing research, policy, and praxis, it provides a critical resource for scholars, policymakers, students, and advocates committed to building futures grounded in equity, dignity, and collective care.
Contents
Part I Foundations and Frameworks of Violence Against Women
Chapter 1 - Defining the Social Problem of Violence Against Women
Chapter 2 - Intersectionality and Violence Against Women
Chapter 3 - Intimate Partner Violence: Structural Inequities and Pathways to Justice
Chapter 4 - Domestic Violence: Legal Limits and Pathways to Reform
Chapter 5 - Sexual Violence: Forms, Impacts, and Costs
Chapter 6 - Barriers to Justice: Institutional Gaps in Responding to Sexual Violence
Chapter 7 - Foundational Frameworks for Understanding Violence Against Women
Part II Intersectionality, Structures, and Systems of Power
Chapter 8 - Expanding the Lens: Inclusive and Emerging Theories in Anti-Violence Work
Chapter 9 - Reproductive Justice: Histories of Control and Paths to Liberation
Chapter 10 - Reproductive Control: Coercion, Criminalization, and Systemic Harm
Chapter 11 - Representational Intersectionality: Media Agenda-Setting and Public Health Interpretation of Violence Against Women
Chapter 12: Political Intersectionality, Part I — Lessons from Feminist Struggles Past and Present
Chapter 13 — Political Intersectionality, Part II: Battered Women's, Indigenous, and Disability Rights Movements
Chapter 14 — Political Intersectionality, Part III: Policy Pathways Across Government
Chapter 15 - Political Intersectionality, Part IV: Before and Beyond VAWA
PART III: Pathways to Justice, Healing, and Transformation
Chapter 16 - Justice as Horizon: Lessons Learned
Chapter 17 - Policy and Research as Pathways to Justice
Chapter 18 - Practice Futures: Survivor-Centered Pathways to Healing and Safety
Chapter 19 - Reimagining Justice: Survivor and Practitioner Pathways Forward
Chapter 20 - Epilogue: Toward Futures of Safety and Justice
