"Trivial Complaints": The Role of Privacy in Domestic Violence Law and Activism in the U.S. (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780231135573)

"Trivial Complaints" explores the historical relationship between privacy and domestic violence through an analysis of litigation and activism. The state has traditionally hesitated in responding to domestic violence, characterizing it as a "private" family matter. The discourse of privacy incorporates presumptions about race, class, and sexuality, and this volume examines the ramifications of such assumptions for victims and activists.

Kirsten S. Rambo begins with an analysis of courts' and activists' responses to domestic violence during the late nineteenth century and continues through to the late twentieth century, when the modern battered women's movement emerged on the heels of the battle to secure abortion rights. Rambo explores the seemingly contradictory yet often complementary ways in which the discourse of privacy has been shaped by both movements seeking justice for women. She further examines concepts of privacy as applied to same-sex relationships and domestic violence, and ultimately considers alternative models of privacy that are egalitarian and rooted in empowerment.

Author: Kirsten Rambo
ISBN-10: 0231135572
ISBN-13: 9780231135573
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/11/2008
Pages: 264
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.21lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 05/15/2009 pg. 20
Choice 11/01/2009