Violence against Women. Three moments in the construction of the feminist framework of interpretation

Abstract

New and stimulating theoretical approaches have recently been developed concerning social movements. This paper is based on the specific theories that examine the role of social movements in creating frames, i.e. new «injustice frames» from which to interpret the reality and to subvert the dominant cultural codes. We apply these theories to the process of rejection of the justification of violence against women. As a consequence, we present three different moments in the redefinition of this old and nearly universal fact: the violence against women. Firstly, we outline the patriarchal interpretation of violence against women. Afterwards, we explain the three steps followed for the construction of a new interpreting approach: the gender violence frame.