Citation

Fernández Romero D. J. Gend. Stud. 2020; 29(2): 146-160.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09589236.2019.1596786

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article seeks to approach the media dynamics pertaining to the treatment of male violence (against women), as well as to describe gender-based violence discourses of the institutional campaigns disseminated in Spain from 1998 through 2017. It aims to reveal the dominant narratives over that period, while showing the changing trends and progressive diversification of the target audiences of those campaigns. It focuses on the impact of those institutional campaigns on the identity processes of women who survived violence and left their abuser. This research is based on the biographical testimonies of 23 women collected in in-depth interviews. We conclude by asserting that hegemonic representations of women survivors of abuse create a victim-agent dichotomy in which women victims are encouraged to exercise their supposed 'free will' by denouncing their abusers, an act that nonetheless may contribute to a revictimization of those same women.

Language: en

Keywords

agent; identity; institutional campaigns; Male violence; victim