Gender Violence: Resistance, Resilience, and Autonomy

Practices of self-defense are a crucial step in promoting autonomy and countering the threat of gender-based violence. Sylvia Jane Burrow's book explores how self-defense training can help individuals develop self-confidence and resist the passive victim role often associated with gender violence.

Format: Hardback
Length: 126 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

Gender violence and autonomy: resistance and resilience through practices of self-defense

Countering the threat of harm through practices of self-defense is a crucial step towards fostering autonomy within a culture of gender violence. In often mundane but sometimes quite obvious ways, individuals belonging to groups routinely threatened with harm on the basis of gender or sexuality often adjust or restrict their behavior and actions to avoid the possibility of harm. Such restrictions on autonomy are typically linked to taking on a passive victim role. Developing self-confidence can significantly counteract these harms to autonomy for those living within a culture of gender violence.

Building on decades of research philosophically interrogating autonomy, and with a martial arts background spanning over 25 years, Sylvia Jane Burrow shifts the theoretical focus from passive victimhood to agency, developing a novel analysis of autonomy development under everyday threat of gender violence. With the support of empirical research on fear and vulnerability, the theory presented in this book establishes that cultivating self-confidence through self-defense training is significant to both resistance and resilience.

The concept of autonomy is central to understanding the experiences of individuals living in cultures of gender violence. Autonomy refers to the ability to make decisions and take actions that are consistent with one's values, beliefs, and desires. However, for individuals living in cultures of gender violence, autonomy is often limited by the threat of harm. This threat can take many forms, including physical violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and economic coercion.

In response to this threat, individuals may adjust or restrict their behavior and actions to avoid the possibility of harm. For example, women may avoid certain places or situations, wear certain clothing, or limit their interactions with men. Men may also adjust their behavior, such as avoiding certain neighborhoods or socializing with certain groups of people. These restrictions on autonomy are often connected to taking on a passive victim role, where individuals feel powerless and unable to protect themselves from harm.

However, developing self-confidence can significantly counteract these harms to autonomy. Self-confidence is the belief in one's ability to make decisions and take actions that are consistent with one's values, beliefs, and desires. When individuals have self-confidence, they are more likely to resist the threat of harm and take action to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Self-defense training is one way that individuals can develop self-confidence. Self-defense training provides individuals with the skills and knowledge to protect themselves from harm. By learning how to defend themselves physically, individuals can feel more confident in their ability to resist the threat of harm.

In addition to physical self-defense, self-defense training can also help individuals develop emotional and mental resilience. By learning how to manage stress and anxiety, individuals can better cope with the emotional toll of living in a culture of gender violence.

Empirical research on fear and vulnerability has also supported the importance of self-defense training for resistance and resilience. Research has shown that individuals who have received self-defense training are more likely to report feeling confident in their ability to protect themselves from harm. They are also more likely to report feeling less fearful and more resilient in the face of stress and adversity.

In conclusion, countering the threat of harm through practices of self-defense is a crucial step towards fostering autonomy within a culture of gender violence. Developing self-confidence can significantly counteract the harms to autonomy that individuals living in these cultures experience. Self-defense training is one way that individuals can develop self-confidence and protect themselves from harm. By learning how to defend themselves physically and emotionally, individuals can feel more confident in their ability to resist the threat of harm and take action to create a safer and more just world.

Weight: 363g
Dimension: 240 x 158 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498578851