An Argument for Black Feminist Criminology (original) (raw)
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Black Women and Intimate Partner Violence: New Directions for Research
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2004
African American women are at elevated risk for nonfatal and lethal intimate partner violence (IPV). Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to review our current knowledge, with a focus on the sociodemographic factors that make this population particularly vulnerable to abuse. Future research directions include using more diverse Black samples, considering how living at the intersection of multiple forms of oppression shapes Black women’s experience with violence, exploring the influence of historical events and oppressive images on victimization, and focusing on survivors’ resilience and activism.
“I'm Black, I'm Strong, and I Need Help”: Toxic Black Femininity and Intimate Partner Violence
Journal of Family Theory and Review, 2020
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious threat to the lives of Black women in the United States. Research has shown that Black women report more serious injuries and mental health consequences, are less likely to report IPV, and receive fewer services related to IPV victimization than White women do. This article proposes the new concept of toxic Black femininity, which refers to the constant attempts for Black women to uphold a stereotype of being militantly strong and responsible for the overall well-being of the Black image while simultaneously denying their own needs in an attempt to maintain the status quo. We describe the theoretical framework behind the term toxic Black femininity, its historical origins, how the need for survival has led to the manifestation of toxic Black femininity, and the importance of dismantling these toxic ideologies. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social ill that disproportionately affects Black women (Lacey, West, Matusko, & Jackson, 2015). Black women are at a higher risk of receiving more serious injuries or mental health diagnoses and of dying from IPV than are White women (Fischer et al., 2015; Iverson et al., 2013). Black et al. (2011) reported that 43.7% of Black women
Journal of Sociology and Social Work, 2017
The purpose of this study was to apply Critical Race Theory to investigate whether differences exist between African American women and Caucasian women on constructs measuring conflict negotiation and parenting attitudes for female perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Using the lens of critical race theory, we hypothesize that there are statistically significant differences between African American women and Caucasian women for indicators of parenting attitudes (measured by the AAPI-2) and intimate partner negotiation (measured by the CTS-2). The study employed a non-equivalent, control-group design and involved secondary data analysis. Data on 133 women was collected by a batterer intervention program in a metropolitan area in the Southeastern U.S. Binary logistic regression suggests that(1) the women in this sample who were more likely to score high on the CTS-2 physical scale were more likely to belong to the African American cohort; and (2) those women who scored in the high risk parenting category were also more likely to fall in the African American cohort. Findings indicate that critical race theory is a useful theoretical framework for understanding macro conditions in which women perpetrate IPV.
African American Women and Domestic Violence: Addressing their Voice of Silence
BRK Global Healthcare Journal
Historically, during slavery, the international slave trade promoted normalization of violence against African American women. During slavery, African American women endured inhuman conditions because of the majority race views of them as being over-sexualized, physically strong, and immoral. This perception of the African American women as being highly sexual and more sexual than white women results in slave owner justifying their sexual violation and degrading of the African American women. The stereotypical representations of African American women as strong, controlling, dangerous, fearless, and invulnerable may interfere with the African American women receiving the needed services for domestic violence in the community. The Strong Black Women Archetype has been dated back to slavery describing their coping mechanism in dealing with oppression by developing a strong, less traditionally female role. The authors developed a model: The Multidimensional Perspectives of Factors Cont...
Contextualizing the Experiences of Black Women Arrested for Intimate Partner Violence in Canada
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2021
This qualitative study was informed by critical race feminism and explored Black women’s experiences with the police with a particular focus on how issues of race, racism, oppression, and subordination inform their experiences. It sought to answer three research questions: (1) What is known about Black women’s experiences with the police in the context of intimate partner violence? (2) Given their experiences with the police, what is their perception of the police? and (3) To what extent do women construct counter-narratives of their experiences with the police and what does that involve? The sample was comprised of 25 participants, 15 of whom were arrested. The women were over the age of 18 and lived in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding areas. Most women expressed that they had negative encounters with the police, which was influenced by the police’s negative perceptions of them. Black women who called the police to intervene in an intimate partner violence incident were sub...
Intimate Partner Violence and Women of Color: A Call for Innovations
American Journal of Public Health, 2002
In this commentary, we focus on violence against women of color. Although African American women experience higher rates of intimate partner homicide than White women, the cumulative rates for nonfatal intimate partner violence are similar and do not vary between urban and rural locations (though access to services may vary by location).
2014
Blacks and whites often have clashing perspectives on many issues that are puzzling to both races. One of these clashing perspectives is in respect to differing perceptions of intimate partner violence, including even murder and rape. Arguably, this as well as other clashing perspectives flow not only from stark present-day demographic realities existing between different ethnicities and races, but also from historical differences between the races, especially including contrasts in the societally-sanctioned roles of women. This essay sets forth some reasons for race-related cosmological differences, explaining, for example, why many African Americans greeted O.J. Simpson's not-guilty verdict with ecstatic cheers, while European Americans sat in stunned disbelief. The influence of pre-existing discriminatory cognitive schemas is considered to be of comparatively minimal importance in explaining these differences. KEY WORDS: domestic violence, role of women, racial differences, ...
It’s about Time That We Listened- Black Women’s Resilience in the Face of Intimate Partner Violence
Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 2022
Black women are at heightened risk for intimate partner violence and murder by an intimate partner. For these women, the relationships between race, gender, and class and its impact within larger society are reinforced by threats to their survival within their own homes. This qualitative study queries contributors to Black women’s resilience. Applying Black feminist theory as an analytical framework that fosters insights from the experiences of six Black women with histories of intimate partner violence, we highlight tools that aid in the survival and navigation of intimate partner violence. With resilience as the topic of inquiry, we illustrate three prominent categories: contributors to resilience, endurance strategies, and self-defining features of resilience. The results highlight important considerations that may support the building of collaborative counseling relationships that reflect strength-based, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed service for Black women with histories of intimate partner violence.
No Resting Place: African American Women at the Crossroads of Violence
Violence Against Women, 2005
Seeking safe places after leaving abusive relationships is often an intricate process for African American women. Survivor-victims of gender violence frequently experience ongoing trauma because of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and other stigmatizing social identities. All too often, women of color must handle leaving the gender violence simultaneously with the ongoing threat of cultural violence. The intersection of gender and cultural violence (e.g., racism, discrimination) complicate African American women’s ability to obtain and sustain safe environments. These intersections are critical crossroads in African American women’s lives. The results of this womanist and Black feminist study are presented in an alternative way to highlight the primacy of respondents’ voices. In addition, suggestions to inform the practice of research with African American women are included.