Demonic possession: spatial and cultural accounts of domestic violence in Malaysia
Despite the vast research globally on the domestic violence, there is a little understanding ofthe experiences of multiracial women survivors in non-western countries. The overall imageof domestic violence that emerges from the literature tends to concentrate on a privilegedepistemological standpoin...
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| Format: | thesis |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ir.upsi.edu.my/detailsg.php?det=5691 |
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| Summary: | Despite the vast research globally on the domestic violence, there is a little understanding ofthe experiences of multiracial women survivors in non-western countries. The overall imageof domestic violence that emerges from the literature tends to concentrate on a privilegedepistemological standpoint in western theory. Domestic violence is thus only understood inculturally-specific terms, as initially posited by white western feminists. Adopting aqualitative and participatory approach drawing Oll postcolonial theories, this paper presentsthe spatial and cultural accounts of multiracial women survivors of abusive relationships inMalaysia. The findings reveal that abused women lived in a form of intimate captivity underthe perpetrator's intimate control centred on women's psyche and body. As a form ofentrapment, every action or sign of resistance from the women is countered with varioustactics by the perpetrator. This prevents the abused women fleeing, leading to a coerciverelationship and rendering them possessed. As a result, the notion of demonic possession isused by survivors, perpetrators and wider Malay society as a metaphor for domestic violence,and also as a narrative to both help make sense of or excuse it. This story of demonicpossession works in this way because of its close fit with the social patterns and individualexperiences of domestic violence. Both the behaviour of perpetrators, and the symptoms thatwomen suffering from abuse commonly experience, resonate with societal beliefs aboutdemonic possession. Indeed, what might otherwise be understood as symptoms of posttraumaticstress disorder, and the cumulative effects on personality and identity of victims oflong-term abuse, are identified as either causes or consequences of demonic possession bymany of the survivors and perpetrators in this study. Through this focus on the nature andexperience of domestic violence in Malaysia, the thesis thus highlights the significance ofculturally-sensitive approaches to domestic violence as a counterpoint to western-centricunderstandings. It also stresses the need for culturally specific approaches to awarenessraising and know ledge enhancement in Malaysia. |
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