ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to highlight the ways in which objectification theory may usefully contribute to our understanding of both the perpetration and victimisation associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). It begins by exploring the concepts of othering and dehumanisation common to both global terrorism and intimate partner terrorism. Examples from the research on IPV are then drawn upon to demonstrate the objectifying attitudes evident in how men may perceive and interact with their partners preceding and during abusive episodes. The impacts on women victims are explored, leading to a discussion of self-objectification and its associated harms. The discussion then broadens to the wider social environment to consider the utility of these concepts within the context of increased bodily surveillance and debates regarding women’s agency. In conclusion I argue that it is imperative to resist discourses reflecting neoliberal individualism and maintain a strong, structural analysis enabling objectifying processes to be resisted in order to enhance women’s safety and security.
