Theorizing continuity and change in the discourse of male violence : A case study of ‘marital disagreements’ in 19th century Sweden

• This article presents results from an analysis of a set of 19th century cases of 'maritaldisagreement' (male violence) in a small northern Swedish town. The data is analysed intwo steps: firstly, through a general content analysis with the purpose of uncovering theprincipal patterns and predominant features and secondly by a discourse analysis of akey case. One of the key questions of gender theory has been that of how a social orderin which men are seen as superior to women manages to prevail through space and time –transgressing historical and cultural borders. How can this order subsist in a successionof epochs and cultures which are, in many respects, dramatically different from one another?This question has already been addressed many times within feminism, particularly aspart of the debate concerning the concepts of 'patriarchy' versus 'gender order'. Thisarticle once again revisits this terrain, and aims to use its very specific historical casestudy as a point of departure for a more general discussion of how continuity and changein transhistorical male dominance might be theoretically understood.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

patriarchy

male violence

Sweden

19th century

discourse

Sociology

Sociologi

Sociology

sociologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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