Violence Against Women as a Political Act: Toward a Typology of Gendered Messages

ABSTRACT The pervasiveness of violence against women has drawn the attention of international audiences in multilateral fora, media, and academia. Feminist researchers across social sciences have attempted to make sense of violent acts that target women and feminised bodies, especially by unravelling their causes and motivations. A particular approach sees violence against women as a political act that delivers gendered messages to individuals and communities. In this paper, we develop a typology of the messages conveyed by acts of violence against women. We argue that deciphering these messages is quintessential to making sense of gender violence, namely when it targets women.