The Woman in the Violence: Gender, Poverty, and Resistance in Peru

The Woman in the Violence draws on fieldwork conducted in Lima, Peru, one of the largest cities in Latin America, and the life stories of dozens of women to examine multiple forms of violence and how they in-terrelate in their lives. Gender-based violence continues to blight the-landscape of South American urban centers, and this book unravels the personal experiences of those who feel its effects. Alcalde explores the everyday lives of these women before, during, and after an abusive relationship to explore the impact of, and response to, structural, institutional, and interpersonal violence.

Focusing on the experiences of women who are predominantly poor, nonwhite, rural-to-urban migrants with little or no formal education, the book addresses a range of serious concerns. What types of violence do women experience at different stages in their lives? Which identities and roles are manifested throughout their lives, and do these increase their vulnerability to different forms of violence? What strategies do women employ to gain power and control in these situations, and how can we conceptualize these strategies?

In exploring these questions, The Woman in the Violence contributes to our understanding of violence, gender, race, resistance, and urbanism as it exposes and analyzes systemic violence against women. The every day forms of resistance these women employ provide significant insights for students, scholars, and health professionals alike.

M. Cristina Alcalde is Assistant Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Kentucky.