The continuum of election violence: Gendered candidate experiences in the Maldives
| Author | Elin Bjarnegård |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0192512120977111 |
| Published date | 01 January 2023 |
| Date | 01 January 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512120977111
International Political Science Review
2023, Vol. 44(1) 107 –121
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512120977111
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The continuum of election
violence: Gendered candidate
experiences in the Maldives
Elin Bjarnegård
Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden
Abstract
Research on election violence often does not capture its psychological and gendered dimensions. Gender
differences on the continuum of violence, as acknowledged in other fields, are applied here to election
violence. Specifically, this article explores ways to unveil the forms of election violence that are hidden
from the view of an external observer because they are either not carried out in public or not recognized
as violence. Survey data and interview material was collected from men and women political candidates
participating in the 2014 national elections in the Maldives. The study concludes that the continuum of
violence is relevant for adequately assessing the full range of illegitimate acts used against men and women
candidates to affect electoral races. Women candidates in the Maldives were more exposed than men
candidates to threats and to verbal and figurative sexualized aggression.
Keywords
Election violence, gender, the Maldives, candidates, psychological violence, continuum of violence
Election violence in all its forms is harmful to individuals as well as to electoral integrity and
democracy. This article investigates the gender dimensions of psychological forms of violence
targeting political candidates in electoral races. By acknowledging gendered patterns that have
been long established in research on violence outside of the electoral sphere, the purpose of this
work is to examine whether and how such patterns can be discerned in election violence. The
empirical focus is on political candidates participating in the 2014 national elections in the
Maldives. This article focuses on often overlooked psychological forms of violence in order to
develop a research strategy that captures the full continuum of violence employed to illegitimately
affect elections.
In feminist theorizations of violence, continuum thinking has emerged as a way of connecting
seemingly diverse experiences of physical and psychological violence. While physical violence
inflicts bodily harm, psychological violence inflicts emotional harm, often through threats or
Corresponding author:
Elin Bjarnegård, Department of Government, Uppsala University, Box 514, Uppsala 751 20, Sweden.
Email: Elin.Bjarnegard@statsvet.uu.se
977111IPS0010.1177/0192512120977111International Political Science ReviewBjarnegård
research-article2021
Original Research Article
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