Overview

Although domestic violence is not new, it has only recently been recognized as a problem meriting public attention. Great strides have been made in some areas-such as protection orders and shelter provision-but the problem as a whole has proven extremely resistant to countermeasures. In Domestic Violence and the Politics of Privacy, Kristin A. Kelly argues that understanding this resistance requires a recognition of the tension within liberalism between preserving the privacy of the family and protecting vulnerable individuals. Practical, real-world information gained from frontline workers underpins the author's suggestions for how to address this tension. In emphasizing the roles of democratic institutions and community participation in determining the shape of future policy about domestic violence, Kelly replaces the traditional opposition of the public and private spheres with a triangular relationship. The state, the family, and the community comprise the three corners.Kelly builds upon interviews with more than forty individuals working directly on the problem of domestic violence. Her model is further formed by a critical analysis of the theoretical and legal frameworks used to understand and regulate the relationship between public and private.

Full Product Details

9780801488290

Table of Contents

Reviews

Domestic Violence and The Politics of Privacy is a valuable contribution to work on public-private distinctions and feminist theorizing, with a focus on issues that are rooted in private realms of domesticity, intimate relationships, and the family. It is an original and interesting book. Patricia Boling, Purdue University

This book seeks to place the issue of domestic violence within a framework that contests the traditional distinction between public and private life, as represented respectively by the state and family. Kristin Kelly highlights the tensions that exist between individual rights and autonomy and the relational and dependent aspects of family life. Seen from this vantage point, the private family, while capable of violence, may also be a place to retreat from public scrutiny. . . . This book is admirable in its effort to integrate and reconceptualize theory and practice related to domestic violence. It attempts to deconstruct existing boundaries between the public and private, finding both limitations and problems in each, and calls for a kind of new civic intervention based in community responsibility. -Joyce Gelb, Contemporary Sociology (33.3)

This book seeks to place the issue of domestic violence within a framework that contests the traditional distinction between public and private life, as represented respectively by the state and family. Kristin Kelly highlights the tensions that exist between individual rights and autonomy and the relational and dependent aspects of family life. Seen from this vantage point, the private family, while capable of violence, may also be a place to retreat from public scrutiny. . . . This book is admirable in its effort to integrate and reconceptualize theory and practice related to domestic violence. It attempts to deconstruct existing boundaries between the public and private, finding both limitations and problems in each, and calls for a kind of new civic intervention based in community responsibility. Joyce Gelb, Contemporary Sociology (33.3)

Author Information

Kristin A. Kelly is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut.

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