Overview

Despite 50 years of activism, legal changes, and crisis service provision, there is no evidence to suggest any widespread decrease in rates of gender violence in the United States. People still experience gender violence at alarming rates, are often not believed, and encounter countless obstacles in navigating medical, criminal justice, media, and other institutional responses to their disclosures. The urgency of addressing the dynamics and causes of situations like these, as well as our failure to catalyze widespread decrease in rates of gender violence, fresh ideas for thinking about gender violence differently. Black Lives Matter, indigenous rights, LGBTIQA rights, and other social justice movements have made it clear how marginalized bodies and identities need to take central stage in gender violence response and prevention efforts. As a movement, we need to do better. But how? This book responds to this question by reframing how we think about the problem of gender violence so that we can address it more collaboratively and effectively. Using a paradigm-shifting comprehensive approach, Freitag offers a new perspective on defining gender violence, considering its impact, and explaining why it occurs. Instead of focusing only on (men’s) violence against women, this text offers a comprehensive definition of gender violence that focuses on gendered dynamics across a wide continuum of behaviors ranging from language and microaggressions to physical violence and murder. The author identifies and digs into the root causes that all forms of gender violence share to facilitate a big picture understanding of how cycles of gender violence continue. She shares personal anecdotes and includes examples of the lived realities of gender violence and its aftermath. She proposes applications of a comprehensive approach for every area of gender violence response and calls for ways to make our work reflexive, collaborative, and sustainable.

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9781538197011

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Reviews

Essential reading for gender violence prevention. Grounded in advocacy and academic experience, Understanding Gender Violence offers a new framework for intersectional understanding and action. Freitag integrates multifaceted causes and effects of a culture of gender violence with poignance and practicality, offering wisdom and hope for a less violent tomorrow.--Shauna M. MacDonald, Cape Breton University In this comprehensive approach to understanding and addressing gender violence, Dr. Jenn Freitag offers actionable strategies for accountability, justice, and safety to end gender violence in collaborative and sustainable ways. This book is essential reading for activists, scholars, students, and anyone interested in gender justice.--Maureen Ebbens, University of Southern Maine In Understanding Gender Violence, Freitag offers a rare mix of thorough research and genuine compassion, inviting readers into complex issues with clarity and purpose. This isn't just a resource; it's a guide for those who want to make meaningful, informed change.--Danielle McGeough, University of Northern Iowa Jenn Freitag's book is a gift to scholars, teachers, students, advocates, and practitioners interested in gender violence, the language we use to talk about it, and our collective efforts to end it. Freitag consistently makes complex issues clear and accessible in this practical, theoretically grounded, comprehensive treatment of the topic. Freitag analyzes and critiques the system of gender without neglecting the reality that gender performances can be otherwise--beautiful and life giving.--Leland G. Spencer, University of South Carolina This book delivers what it promises, i.e. a comprehensive approach to the subject of gender-based violence. It will greatly benefit anyone interested in this topic: faculty and students, individuals who provide victim-response and support, facilitators and activists engaged in prevention, individuals responsible for policy-making, and finally, anyone who cares about and wants to learn about the issue. The author's comments and the context provided at the beginning and end of each chapter are insightful and helpful in framing the issues discussed. Complex problems require that we understand their complexity, and Jenn Freitag does a fantastic job of doing just this.--Alan Berkowitz, Independent Researcher and Scholar Understanding gender violence requires a comprehensive approach and this book delivers! Clearly written and accessible, it can support learning across universities, in both academic and student affairs, and in community organizations. Thorough discussions of critical concepts further the understanding of gender violence and the culture that sustains it.--Karla D. Scott, St. Louis University Understanding Gender Violence: A Comprehensive Approach is grounded in the most current scholarship on the prevalence of gender violence across a range of sociocultural contexts and geopolitical locations. Freitag provides a panoramic perspective on the systemic and interpersonal dynamics of gender violence toward building sustainable, collaborative interventions and prevention.--Danielle Stern, Christopher Newport University

Author Information

Jennifer Freitag, PhD, is senior lecturer of communication at University of Dayton. For fifteen years, she has been involved in anti-oppression and gender violence prevention and response work. She is the creator of “I Want My Jacket Back,” an interactive lecture that uses stand-up musical comedy to facilitate dialogue about gender violence. Freitag has extensive experience working in and with nonprofit agencies, city and county sexual assault response teams, PreK-12 school districts, college campuses, law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, and community groups. Jenn has directed prevention programs and been invited to speak, perform, and facilitate workshops at a variety of college campuses, academic conferences, and statewide conferences for agencies devoted to gender violence prevention and response. She has published in Violence Against Women, Women and Language, and the Texas Speech Communication Journal. She is also the founding editor of Pedagogy & Theatre of the OppressedJournal, a peer-reviewed publication that bridges the work of educators, activists, and academics, which she continues to support as an associate editor and reviewer.

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