AltaMira Press
Pages: 436
•
Trim: 6½ x 9½
978-0-7591-0800-4 • Hardback • October 2006 • $163.00 • (£127.00)
978-0-7591-0801-1 • Paperback • October 2006 • $76.00 • (£58.00)
JoAnn Miller is associate professor of sociology and an affiliated member of the Women's Studies faculty at Purdue University.Dean D. Knudsen received his PhD in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is associate professor at Purdue University.
Part 1 A Family Abuse and Violence Episode Framework
Chapter 2 Family Abuse and Violence Episodes: A Case Study and a Conceptual Framework
Chapter 3 Measuring and Estimating the Cases: Agency, Government, and Social Survey Data
Part 4 A History of Family Abuse and Violence in the United States
Chapter 5 Interpreting the Past
Chapter 6 From Violence to Abuse: Defining a Social Problem
Part 7 Intergenerational Forms of Family Abuse and Violence
Chapter 8 Physical Abuse of Children
Chapter 9 Sexual Abuse of Children
Part 10 Changing Definitions and Perceptions of a Social Problem
Chapter 11 Implications of Family Abuse and Violence Definitions
Chapter 12 General Population Perceptions of Family Abuse and Violence
Part 13 Intragenerational Forms of Family Abuse and Violence
Chapter 14 Dating and Intimate Partner Abuse and Violence
Chapter 15 Consequences of Intragenerational Family Abuse and Violence
Part 16 Dependents
Chapter 17 Neglect: The Failure to Act on Behalf of Dependents
Part 18 Assessing the Situation
Chapter 19 Persistent Controversies and Emerging Issues
Chapter 20 What Do We Know? What Should We Do?
In Family Abuse and Violence: A Social Problems Perspective, Miller and Knudsen combine a remarkably encyclopedic analysis of existing findings and original research to skillfully present an empirically grounded conceptual framework for understanding the causes, manifestations, and consequences of intragenerational and intergenerational family abuse. Not content to stop there, with lucid prose they put this framework-what they call a "Family Abuse and Violence (FAV) Episode" perspective-to work in innovative ways. The result is clear: the value of this book for academics, advocates, and policymakers is beyond question, precisely because it is readable without betraying the complexity of the problem. In the process of addressing two extremely important questions-what do we know and what should we do-Miller and Knudsen present their ideas in a clear, reasoned, and evidenced-based way, which leaves the reader with keen insight about the social context in which family abuse and violence occurs as well as compelling ideas for social change.
— Valerie Jenness, University of California, Irvine; President-Elect, Pacific Sociological Association
. . . this book is a major contirbution to the field of family abuse and violence. Highly recommended.
— Choice Reviews
Family Abuse and Violence presents a new perspective for studying inter- and intragenerational forms of family abuse and violence.
— Adolescence Magazine
The writing style is engaging without sensationalizing....The authors present some thoughtful solutions.
— Journal of Family Violence, April 2008
Family Abuse and Violence is a welcome companion to Knudsen and Miller's (1991) Abused and Battered: Social and Legal Responses to Family Violence. The authors are experienced and respected scholars of domestic violence and child abuse, and they are at the top of their game in this volume. I especially found their thoughtful focus on the often contentious processes and thorny dilemmas of defining family abuse and violence to be valuable, as well as they way they situate these processes in larger cultural, organizational, and political contexts. The book's synthesis of theoretical perspectives and typologies of family violence/abuse is also valuable for those seeking an intelligent overview of the field. I would certainly recommend the book for use in upper level undergraduate classes or graduate seminars on family, violence, criminal justice policy, or social work.
— Jeffrey Ulmer, Associate Professor of Sociology and Crime, Law, and Justice, Penn State University