Perpetrating violence in intimate relationships as a gendering practice: An ethnographic study on domestic violence perpetrators in France and Italy

Based on an ethnographic research on perpetrator programs in France and Italy, this article aims at analyzing men’s accounts of intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships. Whether perpetrators explain their violence (1) as a trivial fact, (2) as a reaction to their partner’s behavior, or (3) as a temporary and exceptional loss of control, these adult heterosexual men refer to a “natural” gender order and to heteronormative representations of women and men. In particular, these violent acts against female partners seem to be employed as (4) strategic performances to “save face” and achieve a hegemonic model of masculinity. Situated in the tension between norm and deviance, the perpetration of domestic violence can be framed as a gendering practice: through the performance of abusive acts against women in the context of intimate relationships, perpetrators attempt to situate themselves in the wide spectrum of masculinities and in its internal hierarchy. The study of men’s perception and experience of violence perpetration leads to overcome the binary conception of intimate partner violence that opposes men and women.