Type:	Journal Article
Title:	"It's in their culture": fairness and cultural considerations in domestic violence
Other Titles:	Family court review
Authors:	Warrier, Sujata
Keywords:	Theories of violence;CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse);Criminal justice responses
Year:	2008
Publisher:	Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Citation:	46 (3), July 2008
Notes:	General Overview:With the purpose of better addressing domestic violence through the courts, the author of this North American article critiques understandings of culture and cultural competency. The author develops a framework for providing court personnel with a more nuanced understanding of culture as they deal with diversity in the court environment. Discussion:The author begins by deconstructing the essentialist approach to culture which pervades much of the training and materials provided to court personnel and those working in the field of domestic violence. She argues that these materials tend to rely on ‘packaged pictures of culture’ as a stable set of norms, values and traditions. They tend to present an image of ethnic groups as homogenous and, thereby, minimise differences within ethnic groups, as well as the changing nature of culture over time. The article goes on to propose an alternative understanding of culture which focuses on the intersections between race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, immigration, disability and other aspects of identity. The article also emphasises the role of power and oppression in shaping cultural identity. The article proposes a range of key principles that should guide the work of court personnel and others working in the domestic violence field, including that: * gaining cultural competency involves building awareness and skills, as well as changing attitudes and biases; * court personnel should be willing to be critical of all information about culture, especially information which relies on stereotypes; * culture does not justify ‘bad behaviour’.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/12958
ISSN:	1531-2445
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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