Battered Women as Survivors

First published in 1990, this book is based on a field study of domestic abuse victims and their social network members. In a life history perspective, using values and network analysis, it uncovers the social context of a ‘secret’ crime against women and reveals the relationship between personal crisis and traditional attitudes toward women, marriage, the family, and violence. This book breaks new ground by redirecting attention beyond victim-blaming and the medicalization of violence to unders