Affects, rhetoric and the issue of men as victims of intimate partner violence

What is it about?

This article sheds light on affective potentialities linked to online discourses on men as victims of violence and how professionals may respond to such potentialities. Men’s victimization in intimate relations, as well as more broadly, is a central topic in online discussions, particularly in the manosphere. Especially in online contexts, meanings linked to men’s victimization tend to be articulated in opposition to feminist understandings, and may therefore hinder combining a regard for men victims with a critical understanding of power dynamics in intimate partner violence. The aim of the paper is to highlight the role played by affects in these processes of reiterating meanings across online and offline contexts, and to critically examine the consequences of their reiteration. The article shows both similarities and context-specific differences in engagements with men’s victimization; in addition to showing agreement with online meanings, the professionals also detach themselves from the polarization characteristic to online claims-making around men’s victimization, and gravitate toward a more neutral and understanding stance.

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Why is it important?

Both professionals and lay people need enhanced critical literacy to be able to see through the rhetoric of the manosphere and its affective mobilization, and to address the issue of men's victimization without resorting to exclusionary, anti-feminist rhetoric.

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