ABSTRACT
Violence takes many forms, arises in diverse contexts and operates on multiple scales. It has political, social, economic, cultural and inter-personal dimensions that are often mutually supportive. While the specific phenomenon of violence against women obviously substantially predates the emergence of second-wave feminism, it was during the 1960s and 1970s in particular that its prevalence and political significance was most forcefully highlighted, at least in the Western context. Although, in many regards, the demands made by second-wave feminists remain unaddressed to this day, the campaigning which took place during this period drastically shifted the terrain upon which the issue was conceptualized, problematized and responded to. Pioneering feminist work highlighted, among other things, the ‘mundane’ nature of violence against women, uncovering the high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, particularly within domestic settings, and exposing the powerful ideologies relied upon both by perpetrators and by the state in order to normalize and justify such conduct.
