Binary Culture, Intersectionality, and Agency:. An Exploration of Domestic Violence against Hui Women in West China

      Аннотация: The issue of domestic violence has remained invisible and understudied until recent decades in China. There are very still few studies that have specifically investigated domestic violence in minority ethnic groups. The abusive experiences of Hui Muslim women in China are understudied. Data from interviews with 14 women who are identified as being abused by their husbands and who lived in either the city or the small town of Qinghai in west China to examine the complex and dynamic nature of domestic violence they have experienced. The Hui women were vulnerable to the violence because of their low social status, low educational background, and minority ethnic identity. Under the oppressions, a fear of being ignored, discriminated, and marginalized resulted in the Hui women’s tolerance or silence toward abuse or maltreatment. Until the violence becomes unbearable, they would deal with the abuse and find solutions by themselves rather than seeking outsiders’ help. The author argues that the Hui Muslim women are not only powerless but also resistant to violence. Their negotiation of the self under a social control and structural inequality reveals their autonomy and wisdom.

Ключевые слова: Binary, culture, Intersectionality, Agency