Degree Name
Master of Arts
Graduate Program
Sociology
Advisor
Dunn, Jennifer L.
Abstract
This project explores domestic violence advocacy in a rural setting, using a critical feminist-informed social constructionist approach. Analysis considers how the rural context specifically affects advocacy work, victims’ experiences, and perceptions of domestic violence victims and ultimately aims to give voice to the experiences of advocates and domestic violence victims located within the cultural and social context of a rural area. Analysis also focuses on discourses that arise within the interviews related to gender and sexuality, most often surrounding the victims but also related to abusers. Results indicate that the rural context affects advocacy and the experiences of domestic violence victims through its characteristics of small, overlapping social networks, a dearth of privacy, and traditional ideologies surrounding gender and sexuality.