Violence and Gender—New Insights into an Old Topic

Abstract

Constance Ohms’ monograph examines domestic violence in intimate relationships between women, starting with the multidimensionality of violent relationship dynamics. In this undertaking, she does not understand violence only as an immediate expression of physical attacks and assaults. With the help of qualitative interviews the author assembles a classification for violent relationship dynamics. The female as a violent agent is central to the analysis. The conclusions illuminate the fact that societal, subcultural, and individual influential factors and their interplay with one another all play a role in violent behavior. Ohms’ study provides two provocative insights: first, the feminist debate surrounding domestic violence, which equates violence with masculinity, is criticized and second, the traditional idealization of love in lesbian relationships by the lesbian movement, which makes the notion of violence a taboo, is questioned.