Introduction
"[G]ender‐based violence against women shall mean violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately[.]" (Art. 3 d, Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence)¹.
Gendered violence is born of a difference in the power dynamic between men and women in which the respective genders are seen as unequal; specifically, men are viewed as more powerful and entitled than women. One of the reasons women in society become more of a target for this violence is because many of them may also hold lower economic and social status. However, when race is added to the mix, the power difference becomes even more potent, and women of color, being further marginalized due to their race, are subject to abuse that surpasses that which white females experience.
One of the prominent themes that has been explored in the novels of this course of American Bestsellerism, is that of gendered violence, particularly within the context of slavery. As such a tie is formed between the notion of abuse and race and is demonstrated in the novels Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) and Kindred (1979). The purpose of this path is to use the above novels, as well as media coverage, to discuss the history and development of racism and gendered violence in relation to African American women.
Reference
- "What Is Gender-Based Violence?" EIGE, 14 July 2015, eige.europa.eu/gender-based-violence/what-is-gender-based-violence
