"Culture" is used by our communities to explain and justify violence against women. These claims are based on frozen, male-defined ideas of culture under the guise of upholding tradition. "Cultural freeze" associated with immigration is common in women and men, but when used to condone domestic violence it becomes destructive. "Cultural defenses" comes next: "people in my culture behave this way and believe women should be treated this way, so it is alright for me to do so". Supposedly, these claims are defending the culture of the home country (be it Azerbaijan, Vietnam, etc.). What is in fact being defended is the culture of patriarchy in the home country. These defenses protect how patriarchy is expressed and reinforced in the home country in order to justify gender inequity and violence. We aim here to examine conventional notions of culture and resist its patriarchal traditions of misogyny.
Gender Violence and Cultures of Patriarchy
Proceedings from the National Summit on Domestic Violence in Asian and Pacific Islander Communities, June 2002.
1. Building Human Rights through Popular Culture
BY MALLIKA DUTT
2. Culture: What It Is, Who Owns It, Claims It, Changes It
BY SUJATA WARRIER
3. Colonization and Violence against Women
BY VAL KALEI KANUHA
4. Cultural Defenses in the Criminal Legal System
BY LETI VOLPP
