Gendering Peace and Liberation: A Participatory-Action Approach to Critical Consciousness Acquisition Among Women in a Marginalized Neighborhood

Abstract

(from the chapter) Many women from marginalized neighborhoods suffer injustices and structural violence due to patriarchal and macho-dominated culture as well as injustices stemming from precarious economic and social conditions (Christie, 2006). Their disadvantageous living conditions coupled with multiple levels of exclusion have a negative impact upon their well-being at the personal, relational, and community levels. In the field of community psychology, these areas of negative impact can be studied and addressed from different methodological and epistemological approaches. From the point of view of peace psychology and liberation psychology, conditions of inequality are understood primarily in terms of social injustice (Nelson & Prilleltensky, 2005; Rappaport & Seidman, 2000; Watts, Griffith, & Abdul-Adil, 1999). Yet community initiatives planned and executed with women from marginalized neighborhoods, informed by such perspectives, are scarce, especially in Europe. This chapter seeks to further the study of situations of social injustice experienced by oppressed groups and introduce a community approach model of conscientization or consciousness raising (Martin-Baro, 1989,1994; Montero, 1994) that differs from mainstream analyses of the living conditions of such populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).