Patterns of Gender Violence

This book is an outcome of the collective endeavour of scholars with a deep interest in women’s studies who have examined the various aspects of Gender Violence in Indian society. It provides a spectrum treatment to the different conceptual and theoretical issues of gender violence. It reflects a shared commitment that centres on the material reality of women’s lives and aims at generation of strategies for eliminating gender violence which have the potential of generating a nationwide debate. The book puts forward a gendered analysis of violence. It uses a wide definition of violence to examine the impact of violence on gender relations and on different groups of women. After a general discussion of the major theoretical questions involved in the study of gender and violence, the analysis is developed through an indepth study of different areas/case studies in the Indian context. Weaving together material from a wide range of disciplines such as, politics, sociology, history, development studies and women’s studies, the book seeks to provide comprehensive analysis of gender and violence in India. The various contributors to this volume seek to address violence towards women as a central issue by producing new research data and theoretical insights, demonstrating that violence against women is socially constructed along gender lines. But this violence goes further than empirical description. The chapters display the hierarchical nature of a society, where gender stratification is fundamental and violence, and its threat, play a major role in social control of women. The contributors to this volume are well known social scientists from diverse disciplines. It will be helpful to academicians, researchers, and students at large who have interest in gender studies. It may prove equally useful for the policy makers and women activists for understanding the patterns of gender violence.