ABSTRACT

The literature on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) largely presents a narrative of men as perpetrators and women as victims. This allows little attention to be paid to men as victims of IPV. Much less effort is made to understand how men’s experiences of IPV impact perceptions of their masculine subjectivities and how they respond to victimisation. Through in-depth narrative interviews, this paper reflects on the experiences of some African men and their reactions to personal conditions of abuse. The paper argues that, within the dynamic gendered environment in South Africa, where violence against women is prevalent, some victimised men associate true manliness with men’s respect for women and non-violence tendencies. The African men under discussion mobilise this ideal to construct an alternative identity, maintaining their sense of being honourable, even when the hegemonic order sees them otherwise due to their non-violent beliefs/actions. This article presents a critical yet nuanced contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence in the South African context. It shows how some African men may respond to the challenges of their victimised identities.

摘要

关于亲密伴侣暴力 (IPV) 的文献主要描述了男性是施暴者，女性是受害者。这使得人们很少关注作为 IPV 受害者的男性。人们很少努力了解男性的 IPV 经历如何影响他们对男性主观性的看法，以及他们如何应对受害。通过深入的叙事访谈，本文反映了一些非洲男性的经历以及他们对个人虐待情况的反应。该论文认为，在南非充满活力的性别化环境中，暴力侵害妇女行为普遍存在，一些受害男性将真正的男子气概与男性对女性的尊重和非暴力倾向联系在一起。讨论中的非洲人动员了这种理想来构建另一种身份，保持他们的荣誉感，即使霸权秩序由于他们的非暴力信仰/行为而认为他们不是这样。本文对我们理解南非背景下家庭暴力的动态做出了重要而微妙的贡献。它展示了一些非洲男性如何应对受害身份的挑战。