Battered Women's Movement Perspective of Coercive Control

• NCJ Number: 228984
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 15 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2009 Pages: 1432-1443
• Author(s): Gretchen Arnold
• Date Published: December 2009
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: For related articles in this special issue see NCJ-228985-89.

Annotation

This article reviews Evan Stark's book, Coercive Control, arguing that Stark's analysis of coercive control dramatically clarifies the dynamics of abusive relationships for those who work with battered women and with men who batter.

Abstract

In his book, Evan Stark develops the concept of coercive control as a centerpiece for reorienting one's understanding of abusive relationships. He argues that it is coercive control, rather than physical violence, that is the key dynamic in what is commonly referred to as domestic violence. Stark has developed the model of coercive control as part of an effort to restore one of the original feminist battered women's movement's goals, the empowerment of women. In this article, the author contends that Stark's reframing of woman abuse is useful for battered women's advocates and may, in some cases, lead to more effective practices in battered women's programs. This reformulation of woman abuse shifts the rationale for intervening in abusive relationships from one of protecting the victim's physical integrity to one of protecting the victim's physical integrity to one of pursuing a societal interest in ensuring women's personal freedom. References