ABSTRACT

The 'veil of ignorance' enters Anglo-American philosophy from John Rawls's A Theory of Justice. It postulates a fictional originary moment to explain how universal, disinterested principles of justice are determined, without fear or favour. Feminists' definitions have encompassed a much wider domain, including physical, sexual, and psychological or emotional abuse committed against persons, harmful cultural practices, and in some contexts, damaging words and images. Consciousness-raising groups were the sites of the first questions about the commonality of violence, including incest, wife assault, rape and other forms of violence against women. Feminists arranged 'speak outs' for women to 'break the silence' about their experiences. Academic feminist discussions of the topics usually followed grassroots discussions by several years and were influenced heavily by them. The most creative aspects of feminist theorizing on violence have originated from the broadened definition of violence and the change in focus away from the motives of individual perpetrators.