ABSTRACT
The past few decades have witnessed a plethora of studies on domestic violence, particularly in the US and the UK. At first, research focused on the epidemiology of domestic violence, specifically on men’s physical abuse of their female partners, but then critical attention was turned to the concepts of domestic violence: how should it be defined; who is likely to be a victim; how prevalent is it; is it a criminal or a psychological or a social problem; how extensive is the collateral damage; and who are the experts? Feminists, both activist and academic, became the authoritative voice on this emerging subject of public, political and academic concern. As with sexual violence against women and to a lesser extent child abuse, feminism found a niche in domestic violence. It sought to define the problem and prescribe the cures and in doing so it focused on the concept of patriarchy and, in particular, the imbalance in and abuse of power in many intimate relationships. Like many ideological positions that come to dominate a field, feminism laid itself bare to criticism of heavy determinism and being over-prescriptive in its claims about causes and solutions. Competition over the domain came from many directions and feminism responded. While power and control are still central to both feminist and mainstream understandings of domestic violence, some scholars have recently developed more nuanced understandings of the dynamics of abuse and begun to differentiate between types and experiences of violence, that has implications for policy responses to domestic violence. This chapter traces this movement, developing ideas about power and control and ends with a consideration of its impact on criminal justice policies today.
