Book Review: Researching Gender Violence: Feminist Methodology in Action
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050505200313 |
| Author | Hannah Griffith |
| Date | 01 September 2005 |
| Published date | 01 September 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Researching Gender Violence:
Feminist Methodology in Action
Edited by Tina Skinner, Marianne
Hester and Ellen Malos
Willan Publishing; pp 240; £18.99, pbk
ISBN 1–84392–040–9
Researching Gender Violence is the fifth volume in a series
of collections of works by members of the British Socio-
logical Association’s Violence Against Women Study Group,
with its publication coinciding with the 20th anniversary of
their establishment. Though there is some reference to other forms of gender
violence such as rape, the key theme under discussion within the text is the
methodological challenges, which have arisen from feminist-influenced research
of domestic abuse. This book is the first published by the group to centre predomi-
nantly upon methodology – a choice, they explain, prompted by the recent growth
in research projects and government-funded initiatives into this crime.
The book consists of 11 chapters written by authors with varying areas of expert-
ise, presenting the reader with a discussion of the subject matter illustrated by a
number of differing contextual situations. The opening chapter offers a useful
background summary before the book moves on to focus upon a number of the
methodological issues which have stemmed from recent research, illustrated to the
reader by accounts of the authors’ own experiences of undertaking such studies.
Chapter 2 discusses the implications of the increasing use of quantitative tech-
niques within a field of research traditionally dominated by qualitative methods.
This is followed by a reflection upon the complexities involved in undertaking
research with people ‘in power’. There is an account of researching Asian
children’s experiences of crime and of the importance of cultural awareness during
this process; a discussion of the ethical considerations of conducting research with
young people and of the author’s attempts to empower those she interviewed; and
a chapter describing the issues which arose from comparing and collaborating
research in the UK and China. Chapter 7 discusses researching female political
prisoners in Northern Ireland, before the book moves on to explore the problem
of the views of survivors of domestic abuse not always being heard by the relevant
services. The penultimate two chapters include a debate on the challenges which
stem from researching violent fathers, highlighting the potential risks which arise
for female researchers, followed by a report of studying the possible link between
football and domestic violence. The final chapter of the book is dedicated to the
work of the late Sue Lees – a key member of the group who published many
influential pieces of research, particularly in relation to the prosecution of rape
crimes.
As both a recent student of the Diploma in Probation Studies and a current
practitioner working with male perpetrators of domestic abuse, I find myself
approaching the review of this text from a dual perspective. From an academic
viewpoint, I feel that the reflective accounts of research undertaken – particularly
Probation Journal
306 52(3)
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