Leaving Abusive Partners - From the Scars of Survival to the Wisdom for Change

This moving book reshapes our understanding of the nature of woman abuse and makes a major contribution to a key issue for feminist campaigning and theory. The past 25 years of research on `battered' women has focused on the psychological, sociological and political conditions which contribute to violence, and on women's reasons for staying with violent and abusive partners. The author goes beyond the discourse of `victims' and `survivors' to offer new insights into the very specific and multifaceted nature of the abuses women experience - emotional as well as physical.

Drawing on firsthand accounts, Kirkwood sheds new light both on the dynamics of abuse which afford abusers control over women and the resources and knowledge women draw upon to re-empower themselves. Examining first the nature of abuse and then the issues confronted by a woman after she has left an abusive relationship, Kirkwood finds that women's experiences of society after leaving abusive partners are highly interrelated. She develops the concept of a `web' to explain how the different elements of abuse connect to make up the experiences of abused women.

List of contents

Introduction
The Face of a `Battered Woman¿
Traditional Approaches to Understanding Woman Abuse
Towards a New Perspective
Women¿s Experiences of Emotional Abuse
Emotional Abuse and the Dynamics of Control
Obstacles to Securing Independence
The Impact of Abuse and the Context in which Formerly Abused Women Seek Healing
Victims and Survivors
Concepts and Issues Central to Women¿s Action for Change
Conclusion

About the author

Catherine Kirkwood has a PhD in Women′s Studies from the University of York and currently facilitates support groups for abused and formerly abused women.

Summary

This text explores the nature of woman abuse and contributes to a key issue for feminist campaigning and theory. The author sheds light on both the dynamics of abuse which afford abusers control over women, and the resources and knowledge women draw upon to re-empower themselves.

Product details

• Authors: Catherine Kirkwood, Cathy Kirkwood, Kirkwood Catherine
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 23.08.1993
• EAN: 9780803986855
• ISBN: 978-0-8039-8685-5
• No. of pages: 192
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Social education, social work; Social sciences, law, business > Law > Criminal law, criminal procedural law, criminology; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; Sociology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Feminism & Feminist Theory, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Violence in Society, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Services, Feminism & feminist theory, Violence in society, Feminism and feminist theory, Violence and abuse in society, Welfare & benefit systems, Welfare and benefit systems, Counseling & Psychotherapy;Domestic Violence