Rachel Copeland
New York University, Silver School of Social Work, Graduate Student
Relying on years of ethnographic research in highland Guatemala, this qualitative study explores domestic and family violence in a Maya community. Twenty-five life history interviews were conducted with most living members of an extended... more
Relying on years of ethnographic research in highland Guatemala, this qualitative study explores domestic and family violence in a Maya community. Twenty-five life history interviews were conducted with most living members of an extended family in two departments of
western Guatemala, and ten interviews were conducted with men and women not related to the family of reference in the same region. Based on these interviews, multivariate models of gender violence and abuse
were developed, including male initiation of abuse, acceptance of or resistance to male abuse on the part of women, and cycles of violence. These frameworks provide a rich understanding of the etiology of dynamics that contribute to family violence and aggression towards women in contexts of gender subordination in patriarchal settings, economic and political upheavals, and poverty
western Guatemala, and ten interviews were conducted with men and women not related to the family of reference in the same region. Based on these interviews, multivariate models of gender violence and abuse
were developed, including male initiation of abuse, acceptance of or resistance to male abuse on the part of women, and cycles of violence. These frameworks provide a rich understanding of the etiology of dynamics that contribute to family violence and aggression towards women in contexts of gender subordination in patriarchal settings, economic and political upheavals, and poverty
