(Re)Gendering Violence: Men, Masculinities and Violence

This paper focuses on constructions of violence, in particular the ways in which violence is constructed as a social problem in and through policy discourses. Inspired by an earlier study into the ways in which practitioners, engaged in work with men who are violent towards their female partners, construct and understand violence, this paper highlights the extent to which societal/cultural beliefs regarding gender and violence are embedded at the levels of policy, ‘expert’ knowledge(s), and practices. Illustrating the exercise of (gendered) power through knowledge in shaping Australian government/agency responses and initiatives, it is argued that this has critical implications for the ways in which ‘gender(ed) violence’ is conceptualised, named and addressed.Sydney Institute of Criminology; School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Sydne