Overview

Marriage among the Maya of Central America is a model of complementarity between a man and a woman. This union demands mutual respect and mutual service. Yet some husbands beat their wives. In this text, Laura McClusky examines the lives of several Mopan Maya women in Belize. Using engaging ethnographic narratives and a highly accessible analysis of the lives that have unfolded before her, McClusky explores Mayan women's strategies for enduring, escaping, and avoiding abuse. Factors such as gender, age inequalities, marriage patterns, family structure, educational opportunities, and economic development all play a role in either preventing or contributing to domestic violence in the village. McClusky argues that using narrative ethnography, instead of cold statistics or dehumanised theoretical models, helps to keep the focus on people, ""rehumanising"" our understanding of violence.

Full Product Details

9780292752498

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Reviews

"""This is the first book I am aware of that focuses primarily on the issue of domestic violence in Mexico and Central America... It is a courageous undertaking for the author to write on this topic, and she carries it off with grace, humility, and honesty... This book has far more potential to be of interest to a general readership than most academic books."" -Lynn Stephen, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oregon"

This is the first book I am aware of that focuses primarily on the issue of domestic violence in Mexico and Central America... It is a courageous undertaking for the author to write on this topic, and she carries it off with grace, humility, and honesty... This book has far more potential to be of interest to a general readership than most academic books. -Lynn Stephen, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oregon

""This is the first book I am aware of that focuses primarily on the issue of domestic violence in Mexico and Central America... It is a courageous undertaking for the author to write on this topic, and she carries it off with grace, humility, and honesty... This book has far more potential to be of interest to a general readership than most academic books."" -Lynn Stephen, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oregon

Author Information

Laura J. McClusky, Ph.D., is an adjunct faculty member at SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo State College, and Erie Community College.

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