Families and Gendered Violence and Conflict

This reference work collates academic discourses and practices around family, gender, and violence in social work. 

A huge body of discourse is available that categorizes and labels acts of violence, and correspondingly practices that pin blame/responsibility for the violence. These have led to evolution of intervention strategies to resolve or address the violence. Some explanations foreground systemic causes; others look at person-centric causes. The two views bring forth the fundamental ontological divide of structuralism and individualism. The question for social workers to debate is what to factor in while working with families experiencing violence and conflict. What amongst the person, the agency, or the structure needs to be addressed to understand the experience of families in conflict and violence? Are these positions supplementary, complementary, or to be understood reflexively? With the inclusion of new families, the parochial understanding of families has long been dislodged and given way to newer, radical, and contextual understanding of families. Similarly, different people, agencies, and states understand violence and conflict differently. Gender, too, has moved from the binaries of male and female to the gender-diverse LGBTQIA+ identities. 

The book positions the ontological premise on which the epistemological practise is located. Simply put, the person-centric ontology on families and violence epistemologically finds understanding in agency-based approaches in individual agency, whereas the structure-based approaches find the experience of families and violence in society, state, and the world order. The contributors locate their work around identification, definition, an intervention or empirical study, policy analysis, historical evolution of concepts, and ontological and paradigmatic debates to position their individual chapters.

Family and Gendered Violence and Conflict: Pan-Continent Reach provides a paradigmatic prism for practice for social workers who are equipped to interpret context differently. The differing and competing paradigmatic lenses cannot be mediated, resolved, or addressed, but they definitely can be understood and debated to provide a 360-degree lens on the issues of families in violence in the gendered context. The reference work is a useful resource for social work practitioners, educators, academicians, researchers, and other development professionals.

Ruchi Sinha, PhD is a social work educator focused on interdisciplinary research in justice, public health, and social work. With nearly three decades of experience, she brings a rich academic background to her teaching, holding a Psychology degree from the University of Delhi, an M.A. in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), and an M.Phil. and PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India. Dr. Sinha’s career is dedicated to exploring the multifaceted nature of issues such as structural violence and human rights violations and the crucial role of social work in addressing these challenges. She is particularly noted for her work foregrounding criminal justice social work, focusing on police social work and developing rightsbased child protection frameworks for law enforcement agencies. Her expertise extends to integrating academic insights with practical applications, as evidenced by her frequent training at police academies, child rights organizations, and initiatives addressing violence against women. Her involvement as a founding member in various forums underscores her commitment to fostering change, systemic reform, and empowerment. Her research contributions are both extensive and impactful. Dr. Sinha was the co-principal researcher for the national study on human trafficking in India, offering an in-depth analysis of trafficking in vulnerable districts. She has served as a Research Project Advisor for innovative initiatives aimed at combating online child sexual exploitation and abuse and conducting surveys on public perceptions of SMART policing. Her work on the Global Evidence Review for Child Protection, focusing on India, further highlights her role in advancing research and policy development. Dr. Sinha’s extensive publication record and research endeavors demonstrate her dedication to understanding and addressing violence at multiple levels, including family and gender violence.

Pekham Basu, PhD is a social work educator whose initiation in the field was through the “Special Cells” working in the area of violence against women and children. Over her two-decade career, Dr. Basu has made significant contributions to the fields of violence against women and children, social entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility. Her work encompasses extensive field research and advocacy, addressing critical issues related to the rights and welfare of quarry and mineworkers. Dr. Basu has also collaborated with various funding agencies and corporate entities to drive impactful social change. She completed her undergraduate studies in History at Loreto College, Calcutta, India, where she developed a foundational understanding of historical and socio-cultural contexts. She earned her Master of SocialWork degree from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, where she honed her expertise in social justice and community work. Her doctoral research, titled “Widows of the Mine – Undercounting Silicosis and Its Impact on the Widows of Mineworkers,” presents a comprehensive analysis of the occupational health challenges and labor rights violations faced by mineworkers in Rajasthan, with a specific focus on the misdiagnosis of silicosis and its impact on their families, particularly the women and the widows, using the lens of structural violence. At present she is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Equity and Justice for Children and Families within the School of Social Work at the TISS, Mumbai, India. Her commitment to advancing social equity and justice is reflected in her scholarly contributions and her ongoing efforts to improve the lives of marginalized communities.