Frames of violence and the violence of frames: setting a feminist critical agenda for transnational rituals of speaking

Abstract

Drawing upon a historical overview of the campaign addressing violence against women as well as on a case adjudicated by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, I assess the development of frames about violence against women by feminist activists in the transnational legal sphere. I claim that the process of framing is embedded in forms of violence, which derive not only from the constitutive character of law but also from rituals of speaking. Understanding though that frames are not definitive, I argue that the incorporation of the victim’s testimony into the transnational legal procedure favours the emergence of new (disruptive) frames, thus setting the ground for expanded recognition. An in-depth analysis of the case Penal Miguel Castro Castro vs. Perú allows me demonstrate that there is a complexity to the victim’s narrative of experiencing violence, which is lost by the advocacy’s transnational frame. Show more