The Politics of Surviving: How Women Navigate Domestic Violence and Its Aftermath

by Paige Sweet

For women who have experienced domestic violence, proving that you are a “good victim” is no longer enough. Victims must also show that they are recovering, as if domestic violence were a they must transform from “victims” into “survivors.” Women’s access to life-saving resources may even hinge on “good” performances of survivorhood. Through archival and ethnographic research, Paige L. Sweet reveals how trauma discourses and coerced therapy play central roles in women’s lives as they navigate state programs for assistance. Sweet uses an intersectional lens to uncover how “resilience” and “survivorhood” can become coercive and exclusionary forces in women’s lives. With nuance and compassion, The Politics of Surviving wrestles with questions about the gendered nature of the welfare state, the unintended consequences of feminist mobilizations for anti-violence programs, and the women who are left behind by the limited forms of citizenship we offer them.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Work

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Erin Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely thoughtful and well researched critique of the DV service provider industry and the ways it impacts survivors. Would have loved a more expansive definition of survivors than women with abusive male partners but still learned a lot.

[Kathleena Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Loved pretty much everything about it. I loved the historical context that Sweet lays out for women’s shelters. I loved how effectively she situated it within a context of neoliberal thought and what was happening from a political ideology perceptive and how feminists at the time had to work with politicians in order to get their agenda accomplished and what that meant for the structure and develop of women’s shelters. So fascinating.

My favourite chapter was on gaslighting because I find that we use that word a lot but our discussions can be quite surface level. I asked Sweet about it and Sweet said that she’s currently working on a book specifically about gaslighting, so that’s exciting. Will definitely read that when it comes out. I had a lot of ah-ha moments during the gaslighting chapter, especially how she frames it as a sociological experience.

It was also interesting to read this book during COVID lockdowns because it made you think about how the experiences of women experiencing domestic violence are often exacerbated during the pandemic and this book helps you to think about that in a more nuanced way than you would otherwise. For example Sweet explains how often domestic violence is an ‘issue of space’ and how coercive control can be heightened or made easier during the pandemic for the lived realities of these women.

I loved the closing chapter on traumatic citizenship. At the time of reading this book, I was navigating institutions in a specific way wherein I had to perform respectable “survivorhood” in order to access specific resources. So this chapter helped me in a deeply personal way as well. There may have been some cathartic crying sessions involved.

Sweet’s writing is also such a pleasure to read. Very talented communicator.

So impressed!!!!