Media and Reviews
SPEAKING THE UNSPEAKABLE:
Marital Violence among South Asian Immigrants in the United States
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From
the Back Cover Domestic violence in immigrant communities has received little attention until now. Speaking the Unspeakable is the first account of South Asian women's experience with domestic violence (defined as physical, sexual, verbal, mental, or economic control perpetrated on a woman by her spouse or extended kin). Abraham explains how immigration status, cultural assumptions, and unfamiliarity with American social, legal, economic, and other institutions-coupled with stereotyping from mainstream society make these women especially vulnerable to abuse. Speaking the Unspeakable gives voice to abused South Asian women. Their stories reveal their weaknesses and strengths as they confront domestic violence. By placing these stories within the larger cultural, social, and political context, the author shows the individual strategies of resistance to abusers as well as the pivotal role South Asian organizations play in helping these women escape abusive relationships. |
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OF CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Framing the Issues 2. Marriage and Family 3. Immigrant Status and Marital Violence 4. Isolation: Alone in a Foreign Country 5. Sexual Abuse 6. Internal and External Barriers: It's Not Only the Abuser 7. Fighting Back: Abused Women's Strategies of Resistance 8. Making a Difference: South Asian Women's Organizations in the United States 9. Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Reflections on Our Transformational Politic Appendix A. Profile of Respondents at Time of Interview Appendix B. Notes on the Research Process Notes References Index |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS From the Back Cover "This groundbreaking book combines an insightful scholarly analysis with the powerful voices of women. Also important are its presentation of sexial abuse and its emphasis on individual and community resestance and on cultural and legal oppression." — Jacquelyn Campell, coeditor of To Have and Hit: Cultural Perspectives in Wife Battering "Margaret Abraham breaks through the myth of the 'model minority' and speaks the unspeakable: violence against women in our families. She articulates the complexities of domestic vuilence in South Asian woen's lives circumscribed by culture, tradition, law, and isolation in a new country. Through it all, we hear women's voices and experiences loud and clear." — Shamita Das Dasgupta, editor of A Patchwork Shawl: chronicles of South Asian Women in America |
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