Ethnography of violence in intimate relationships

This panel seeks to explore various dimensions of gender-based violence in intimate relationships through ethnographic research. We would like to exchange views with scholars who have focused in ethnographic studies on gender-based violence, the system that generates it and the self-organised and or institutional responses. The field is potent and highly mediatised, which is why we feel it is important to explore it from a social science perspective even if in a partial way or with research still ongoing. Feminist movements have significantly influenced the understanding of power relations and the family as an institution (Walker, 1979), allowing gender violence to be analysed as a phenomenon embedded in specific social dynamics such as sexism—defined as the domination of one sex over another—and the patriarchal system, which comprises institutions designed by men to maintain sexual domination over women (Letellier, 1994; Cavarero, Restaino, 2002; Gottzén, et al., 2020). In this context, gender-based violence is seen as a routine and pervasive phenomenon, impacting women’s social worlds across both public and private spheres (Kimmel, 2017; Oddone, 2020). However, it remains one of the most highly mediated and elusive concepts of our time. The media’s portrayal of perpetrators as «monsters» complicates sociological analyses of the ways in which gender shapes the relationship with violence (Belmonte, 2024). Despite recent studies questioning the misleading rhetoric around the term «raptus», the image of the male villain continues to dominate public discourse. Men are frequently depicted as having always exhibited inherently violent tendencies, often reinforced by retrospective interpretations of their biographies, lifestyles, and substance use (Belmonte, 2024). This perception influences prevention and support policies, particularly in services for abusive men (so-called CAMs in Italy). These services aim to support men who have committed violence by promoting re-education towards a masculinity that questions the link between violence and male identity. However, these services remain sporadic, likely exacerbated by a paternalistic welfare approach that focuses on victim protection while reinforcing dependence on institutional care. Ethnographic and qualitative research have an important role to play in shedding light on the everyday dimension of such phenomena.