Citation

Vrăbiescu I. Eur. J. Womens Stud. 2019; 26(2): 150-164.

Affiliation

University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1350506818785202

PMID

31327929

PMCID

PMC6555432

Abstract

This article tackles ethical and political dimensions of emotions while exploring forms of solidarity among women exposed to gender violence. Taking the case of a multi-ethnic neighbourhood in the border city of Giurgiu, Romania, the author investigates the role of shame, guilt and security in decisions about managing the experience of abuse in intimate partner violence. In the local community, institutional and personal interactions are shaped by state and private agents who intervene (or not) in the lives of women who are victims of gender-related violence. Institutional dynamics, street-level bureaucracy and community self-regulation employ emotive-political concepts and contribute to norms that justify and maintain violence against women. Building on scholarship of emotions and feminist ethical theories, the article shows the formative relation between the notions of shame, guilt and security, and points to the political subjectivities they create in a multi-ethnic community.

Language: en

Keywords

Emotions; gender violence; intimate partner violence; security; shame