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The Limits of Public Health Approaches and Discourses of Masculinities in Violence Against Women Prevention

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The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences

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Abstract

This chapter critically interrogates the public health framing of violence against women and the social ecological model of violence prevention embedded within it. It outlines how the public health–informed ecological model has assumed primacy as the main conceptual framework for understanding violence against women in the West. It is argued that the social ecological approach lacks a coherent theoretical framework, and that consequently it is unable to make meaningful connections between the various levels of analysis of violence against women. The limitations of other components of the public health approach to violence prevention are identified, including epidemiology and risk factor analysis, social determinants of health, evidence-based policy and practice, and toxic and healthy masculinities discourses.

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Acknowledgments

Parts of this chapter have been adapted with permission from the publication, Pease, B. (2019). Facing patriarchy: From a violent gender order to a culture of peace. London: Zed Books.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Change, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Bob Pease

  2. School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia

    Bob Pease

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  1. Bob Pease
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Correspondence to Bob Pease .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    David McCallum

Section Editor information

  1. RMIT, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Meagan Tyler

  2. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Natalie Jovanovski

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Pease, B. (2021). The Limits of Public Health Approaches and Discourses of Masculinities in Violence Against Women Prevention. In: McCallum, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4106-3_31-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4106-3_31-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4106-3

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