Resisting and Coping with Violence among Gang-affiliated Latina Mothers

• In Event: Latina/o Criminology Panel 1: Gangs, Communities, and Resistance

Abstract

While there has been national discussion of violence against women, relatively little attention has been paid to what scholars call the war on girls and more specifically, the war on inner-city Latinas. This war has two facets: Latinas face high rates of violent victimization and high rates of incarceration. Using grounded, intersectional, and Critical Race analysis, this study aims to improve understanding of the war on Latinas by investigating gang-affiliated Latina mothers’ experiences of and responses to violence (victimization and perpetration). The sample involves 20 young, gang-affiliated women from Los Angeles, California who became mothers as teenagers. The qualitative methods used, including semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation interviews, allow participants to counter dominant ideologies when sharing their experiences and voice their experiential knowledge. The analysis of the study entails examining various types of violence: physical, structural, community, sexual, and victimization. Preliminary findings suggest that gang affiliated mothers have survival strategies they employ to resist and cope with violence, such as seeking close networks for support. The study provides recommendations for prevention and intervention that can be used to interrupt cycles of inequality for the mothers and their children.

Author

• Katherine Maldonado, University of California, Riverside