Cultural Portrayal of Gendered Violence in Western Countries

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Response paper: Framing Cultural Difference: Immigrant Women and Discourses of Tradition by Leti Volpp
Summary of arguments
The article focuses on the way cultural portrayal of gendered violence in western countries often oversimplify traditional views and culture in a modern world. In the article, Volpp highlights on the case of a murdered girl whose father was of Palestinian extraction, and how this shapes arguments in the trial against the girl’s parents. In many cases, there is ignorance and overlooking circumstances that lead to perpetuation of violence among immigrant families because of simplistic notions on culture (Volpp 106). The assumption that traditions are incompatible with feminism ignores the role of culture in the community. In a case where Narinder Virk , an immigrant Sikh woman attempted to drown her children, testimonies highlighted such violence should not be viewed from the cultural victimization perspective (Volpp 99). Hence, the author points out that, the difficulties experienced by immigrant women in western nations, are often intertwined with discrimination and material concerns.
Cultural differences and peoples’ interpretation of culture often influence perceptions about gender violence. In the article, Volpp points out that often, when young ladies from immigrant Middle East and Asian countries are murdered, people are quick to conclude this as part of cultural honor killings. Cultural aspects do affect how communities view gender violence, but it is simplistic to simply rely on cultural explanations by making sweeping declarations. There are various factors that affect that influence gendered violence. For instance, understanding someone’s identity and their cultural identity gives more clues about them than simply making assumptions based on cultural stereotypes (Volpp 96). Progressive western societies fall into t...