Through Black Eyes: African-American Womens Constructions of Their Experiences with Intimate Male Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 211966
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 11 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2005 Pages: 1420-1440
• Author(s): Shondrah Tarrezz Nash
• Date Published: November 2005
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special issue on Bringing Women's Voices to the Center: Innovative Methods in Violence Against Women Research, Part 2.

Annotation

This study explored the experiences of African-American women with intimate male partner violence through interview data from former physically, emotionally, and sexually abuse African-American wives.

Abstract

Despite the growth of research on the frequencies, patterns, and causes of family violence, there is limited research in this area related to African-American families. Through the narratives of nine former physically, emotionally, and sexually abused African-American wives, this research study confronted the idea of a universal abuse experience by exposing how system of inequalities, especially gender and race, help foster less-explored constructions of and reactions to abuse. The nine participants were either separated or divorced from their African-American spouses when interviewed. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data, with all interviews audio-taped. The findings suggest that participants’ observations on African-American men’s social marginalization, educational and economic disparities between African-American partners, African-American women’s role in safeguarding African-American men, and gendered scripts on traditions of resistance influenced their perspectives on the causes of and responses to abuse. References