Gender and Structural Violence

Structural violence is the concept of macro, system-level inequality and oppression which was introduced in modernist discourse by Johan Galtung in 1969 through the article ‘Violence, Peace, and Peace Research’. It refers to a form of violence wherein some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. Institutionalized adultism, ageism, classism, elitism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, speciesism, racism, and sexism are some examples of structural violence as proposed by Galtung. Because structural violence affects people differently in various social structures, it is very closely linked to social injustice. Structural violence and direct violence are said to be highly interdependent, including family violence, gender violence, hate crimes, racial violence, police violence, state violence, terrorism, and war. 

Structural violence is the most basic or fundamental form of violence. It is expressive of the conditions of society, the structures of social order, and the institutional arrangements of power within the society. The articles in this volume look at various societal structures and institutions to understand violence against women. The book will interest researchers, academics, social workers and all those concerned with gender-based violence.

• The Honour Killings in Turkish Jurisprudence / Eda Ash Şeran

• Women in Correctional Homes: A Study on Their Reintegration / Nilika Dutta

• The Insecure Space: Violence and Oppression of Women in Selected Indian Films / Trayee Sinha

• The Representations of Gay Couples in Brazilian Soap Operas: Social Change, Homophobia and Violence / Maurício Pereira     Gomes

• The Impact of Globalization on Women Trafficking in India / Dolly Mishra

• Gender Violence and Widowhood: A Challenge to Religious Leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa / Lucy R. Kimaro

• The Anti-Trafficking Laws and the State: A Critical Review of State Responses to Human Trafficking / Barnali Das

• ‘Injured Identities’ of Women and Victim Protection: The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Interventions in Andhra Pradesh / Neethu     Chandran K.

• Patriarchy: Root Cause of Violence against Women / Alka Agrawal and Jaya Gupta

• A Study of Shaheen: An NGO’s Role in Eradicating Violence against Women in Hyderabad / Priyanka Singh

• To Violate with Impunity: Legal Constructions of Sexual Assault in the Marital Institution / Sawmya Ray

• The Role of Women’s Shelters and the Women’s Movement in Japan / Mariko Ogawa

• An Inferential Discourse on the Appropriate Augmentation of Forensic Evidence in Crimes against Women / Sharada Avadhanam

• Crime against Women in Visakhapatnam: A Forensic Panorama / Madhusree Konala

• Violence against Women in Marriage and Related Issues: A Case Study in Urban Hyderabad / R. Jayasree and M. Reddirani

• Prostitution or Sex Work; Violence or Agency: The Unspoken Stories of Women from Assam / Pooja Chetry

• Creating Feminist Spaces to Deal with the Issue of Violence: The Mahila Samakhya Experience / Rekha Pande