Review by Choice Review
"Sometimes working in the field of gender-based violence can be lonely," the editors of this volume remark in their introductory chapter. "It is underfunded work, often unrecognized, and in some cases, seems unending and unsolvable." Hence, the studies in this book, grounded by ethnographic data and impelled by social activism, are a valuable addition to the anthropological corpus. Contributors demonstrate that gender-based violence is global in its reach and culturally nuanced within local contexts. They also make clear the challenges of using feminist ideas to effect positive social changes. The strongest chapters, Mark Schuller's discussion of post-earthquake Haiti and Melissa Beske's treatment of intimate partner violence in Belize, for example, attend to gender as intersectional and activism as complicated by researchers' positionalities. That said, this book is not without its conceptual shortcomings. A theoretically grounded treatment of violence at the book's outset would have clarified for readers the myriad forms it can take--physical, structural, symbolic, etc. Nor does this volume contain an extended discussion of gender. Readers are left with the impression that it is synonymous with women and sexuality. Seeing that many of these studies are ongoing ones, the hope is that researchers may address these concerns as they move forward with their very important work. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels/libraries. --Pamela L. Geller, University of Miami
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
