Experiences, Negotiation, and Resistance: Understanding Intimate Partner Violence against Ethnic Minority Women In Inner Mongolia, China

• In Event: Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been widely considered as a significant social issue influencing individuals and families in China. However, little is known regarding gender, violence, and family dynamics among China’s relative small but significant ethnic minority populations, especially Mongolians. It is critical to go beyond the majority experiences to understand their distinct experiences, negotiation, resistance, and adaptive coping strategies regarding IPV at the intersection of ethnicity, gender, and class. By interviewing 51 Mongolian women who experienced IPV from one pastoral county and one urban city in the province of Inner Mongolia in China, this research attempts to investigate the experiences and coping strategies of Mongolian women, who suffer multiple disadvantages, including a subordinate position within a patriarchal nation, a marginalized status as ethnic minorities, and their distinct local cultural and community contexts. The study will extend the theoretical understanding of IPV to an ethnic minority context and contribute to literature regarding empowering battered ethnic minority women and cultivating self-determination and autonomy. Qualitative analysis is still in the process to explore the role of ethnic identity, community culture, and social isolation in influencing Mongolian women’s adaptive coping strategies, negotiation, and resistance when dealing with IPV.

Author

• Ge Jin, The Chinese University of Hong Kong