Gender, Homicide, and the Politics of Responsibility: Fatal Relationships

Gender, Homicide, and the Politics of Responsibility explores the competing and contradictory understandings of violence against women and men's responsibility, situating these within the personal and political intersections of neoliberal and 'postfeminist' imperatives of individualization, choice, and empowerment. It examines themes of responsibility for violence and the social and legal consequences that men and women uniquely or differently encounter, drawing on high-profile cases of homicide, feminist perspectives on violence, and focus group discussions. The book makes contributions to several fields, such as public policy initiatives to hold men accountable for violence against women, understanding public attitudes to violence against women, and contextualizing the challenges faced by feminist reforms.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 154 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Gender, Homicide, and the Politics of Responsibility delves into the complex and often conflicting interpretations of violence against women and men's responsibility. It contextualizes these within the personal and political intersections of neoliberal and 'postfeminist' imperatives of individualization, choice, and empowerment.

As violence against women has gained national and international attention as a policy priority, feminist concerns about violence against women and men's responsibility have entered the mainstream, only to be articulated in politically contradictory ways. This book explores themes of responsibility for violence and the social and legal consequences that men and women uniquely or differently encounter. By drawing on high-profile cases of homicide, an extensive literature on feminist perspectives on violence, and compelling focus group discussions, the book examines the politicized claims regarding the 'responsibility of men and women as both victims and offenders in intimate relationships.'

Deploying a range of interdisciplinary approaches, the book utilizes a blend of cultural theory and psychosocial analysis to offer an account of the infiltration of postfeminist and neoliberal sensibilities of individualism and responsibilization in the social, legal, and interpersonal imaginary. The book makes significant contributions to several fields, including the current public policy initiatives to hold men accountable for violence against women; understanding public attitudes toward violence against women; and contextualizing the challenges faced by a number of feminist reforms that seek to address these issues.

An accessible and compelling read, Gender, Homicide, and the Politics of Responsibility will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, gender studies, and those interested in un.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367647117