HEROES OF THEIR OWN LIFES: THE POLITICS & HISTORY OF FAMILY VIOLENCE. (LINDA GORDON).   Term Paper ID:28297 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Review of book on family violence, 1870 the the 1960s. Historical & political arguments.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Review of book on family violence, 1870 the the 1960s. Historical & political arguments. Paper Introduction: Linda Gordon's Heroes of Their Own Lives: The Politics and History of Family Violence describes the social, political, and cultural phenomenon of family violence largely directed against women and children in the period from 1870 to the 1960s. Her text is historical, descriptive, and analytic. As she states in her introduction, her thesis is that "family violence has been historically and politically constructed" (Gordon, p. 3). Further, Gordon (p. 3) believes that "family violence arises out of power struggles in which individuals are contesting real resources and benefits." This brief review will first summarize Gordon's central themes, then offer an interpretation of those themes and arguments. The report will conclude with a discussion of the significance of Gordon's arguments about the causes of and responses to family violence for a wider audience than that Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. At the same time, it is important to recognize thatGordon does believe that women have traditionally been socially positionedas dependent, weaker, and victimized or at least submissive dependents ofmale figures. In fact, thecomplacency of the immediate post-World War II generation and itsreluctance to examine issues related to family violence is established asthreatened by new ideas and beliefs coming to the fore in the 196 s. Despite her obvious feminism, Gordon does not take "sides" indescribing the ways in which both males and females have participated infamily violence. In the very structuring of gender relationships, women havebeen more logical and frequent victims of violence than their malecounterparts. This is not to suggest that shebashes or attacks males as the sole cause of family violence over America'shistory. Gordon's text includes asubstantial amount of information that links increases in reported childabuse, wife-beating, and child neglect to economic fluctuations. It destroys families andchallenges schools, medical caregivers, social workers, and members of thelaw enforcement and legal professions to find solutions. In fact, Gordonappears to recognize that many abusive mothers were victims of child abuseor as significantly, victims of abuse at the hands of their husband or malepartner. It is alsoapparent that the feminist struggle has been extremely influential inreframing the discussion of family violence and providing for legalmechanisms that can protect victims of such violence. If women were acceptable victims of male abuse, young childrenbecame even more acceptable victims of abuse at the hands of both parents. Even under the efforts of the MSPCC, negative attitudes towardthe culture of immigrant groups were shown by Gordon to be highlyinfluential in shaping child protection strategies and interventions. The meaning of Gordon's arguments for an audience that goes beyondideological feminists, social workers, and others who are concernedofficially with issues related to family violence is readily apparent.Maltreatment of any vulnerable group in a democratic society isantithetical to the fundamental tenets of that society. 62). It is important to recognize that Gordon considers the 196 s to havebeen a period of enormous social change in which child abuse itself was"rediscovered." This conclusion appears to be consistent with otherstudies which emphasize the emergence of new social values and mores duringa particularly turbulent period in American history. Linda Gordon's Heroes of Their Own Lives: The Politics and History ofFamily Violence describes the social, political, and cultural phenomenon offamily violence largely directed against women and children in the periodfrom 187 to the 196 s. It also makes it possible to developmore effective ways of preventing family violence. Penguin Books, 1988.----------------------- 7 Further,Gordon (p. Work CitedGordon, Linda. Gordon (p. Becoming better informed about this subject andframing the information in the context of cultural and political issueshelps us to understand the problem. It is important for all of us to give attention to the questions thatLinda Gordon addresses in her book. Gordon divides her text and her discussion into a group of historicalperiods, reflecting the position that these periods of time correspondroughly to the social, cultural, political and legal shifts thataccompanied new understandings and recognitions of family violence.Additionally, she positions her discussion within a decidedly feministideological framework, noting for example that "the feminist campaign fordivorce also allowed the telling of shocking stories about wife-beating"(Gordon, p. Her text is historical, descriptive, and analytic.As she states in her introduction, her thesis is that "family violence hasbeen historically and politically constructed" (Gordon, p. The report will conclude witha discussion of the significance of Gordon's arguments about the causes ofand responses to family violence for a wider audience than that composed ofsocial workers and students of social history in the United States. In interpreting this text, it is important to recognize that Gordonis writing from a feminist position. 3) believes that "family violence arises out of power strugglesin which individuals are contesting real resources and benefits." Thisbrief review will first summarize Gordon's central themes, then offer aninterpretation of those themes and arguments. This particular organization, though initially locatedin Boston, spurred the development of a national child protection movementsupported by private citizens and spouting an environmentalist rather thanmoralistic explanation for child violence and preaching a preventive ratherthan punitive set of solutions (Gordon, p. By linking economic dislocations and suchimportant events as waves of immigration and the emergence of aprofessionalized social work profession to the changes in responses tofamily violence, this writer suggests that public attention to the problemof family violence is very much an artifact of such influences. Several sections of the text focus on a specific type offamily violence, such as incest, wife-beating, the problem of the single-mother, and emergent understandings of how power struggles and gender-basedconflicts (creating a perception of women as "weaker") all contributed torecognition of the nature and the extent of the problem. 3). 254). Ininterpreting her arguments, it is important to recognize that at differentperiods in America's history victim-blaming has been readily apparent inthe ways that society treated victims of family violence. She makes it clear that women as well as men have been heldresponsible for child abuse and that while there were specific genderdifferences in the types of abuse perpetrated by males and females on theirchildren, women were not universally non-abusive parents. Very few Americans do not know someonewho has been victimized by family violence. 288)states that strategies of resistance for battered women have always beeninfluenced by organized feminism which in turn "influenced social and legalpolicy, particularly through their interactions with social workers andother authorities." Gordon's argument is well structured and geared to demonstrate theveracity of her thesis. Despite enhanced efforts toidentify victims of this behavior, prevent its occurrence, and interveneonce the problem has been identified, the problem continues to exist and todamage countless lives. Another important feature of Gordon's argument is that it is thecultural values and behavioral norms of mainstream society which have beenmost influential in determining how family violence will be understood andtreated. The text suggests and supports the view that a paternalisticsociety which denigrates the status and autonomy and even the dignity ofwomen is a society which tacitly tolerates unacceptable levels of familyviolence. Family violence -whether directed at women or children, or perpetrated by women or men -damages the very fabric of society. 3) offers a wealth of statistical and anecdotal data toconfirm her view that "the historical developments that influenced familyviolence...include, prominently, changes in the situation of women andchildren." To explicate this thesis, she describes child protectionthrough Children's Aid Societies in the period between 188 an 191 and theactivities of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toChildren (MSPCC). Heroes of Their Own Lives: The Politics and History ofFamily Violence. Over time,this writer demonstrates as well that the culturally and historicallyvariable meanings of fundamental familial concepts (i.e., marriage,husband, parent, child, rights) is directly related to the officialsocietal and legal response to the problems of family violence. Gordon (p. Untreated, it causes enormouspsychological and physiological damage. Family violencedemands both prevention and intervention activities and is a problem thatspeaks to the concerns of all Americans and notmerely to individuals in official positions. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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