Breaking the Cycle of Violence and Abuse: Story and Counter-Story

• In Event: Narrative Criminology II: Gender and Psychosocial Dynamics

Abstract

One neglected aspect in studies of crime concerns the inclusion of victims in the context of their social network and how the interplay of structure, meaning and power in the networks transforms the process of crime and the victim’s identity. We argue that social networks should be viewed as configurations of social relationships interwoven with meaning that can trap or free victims. Combining narrative- and social network analysis, we elaborate on the story of a young Swedish female. She got trapped in an abusive context and ultimately escaped from it. Her story embraces two storylines, “a girl deeper and deeper into victimization” and the countering storyline of “a girl in search for a respectful confirmation of her self”. In order to set the context for her counter-narrative, she establishes an “expanded family network,” linking people who had responded to her position as a victim in a positive way. The analysis shows how the social world of a victim can be limited or expanded by the responses from the social network and how being embedded in a certain network influences the victim’s social action. The analysis uncovers the close link between stories and action: the actions shape the story and the story shapes the actions.

Authors

• Margareta Hydén, Linköping University

• Grund Thomas, University College Dublin