Emily Gaarder

The Gendered “Nature” of the Urban Outdoors Women Negotiating Fear of Violence

Women who participate in outdoor recreational activities reap many physical and emotional benefits from their experiences. However, gender-related feelings of objectification, vulnerability, and fear in this space limit women’s participation. In this study, the authors investigate how women pursue their enjoyment of urban outdoor recreation at South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona, despite their perceptions and experiences related to fear of violence. Through surveys and interviews with women who recreate at South Mountain, the authors look at the ways the women cope with their fear using various strategies. This study reveals the gender-related conflicts that persist for participants, who grapple with their appreciation of uncompromised nature and their need to feel safe in this environment. Ultimately, they illustrate how an ongoing negotiation exists for the women as the authors balance choices and concerns related to their outdoor recreation and what aspects of surveillance and control they consider, reject, or accept.

Risk & Reward: The Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Women

This qualitative study of 27 women animal activists examines the risks and rewards that accompany a commitment to animal rights activism. One of the common beliefs about animal rights activists is that their political choices are fanatic and unyielding, resulting in rigid self-denial. Contrary to this notion, the women in this study experienced both the pain and the joy of their transformation toward animal activism. Activism took an enormous toll on their personal relationships, careers, and emotional well being. They struggled as friendships ended and family relationships suffered; some experienced harassment and abuse as a result of their efforts. Yet the women were just as likely to extol the rewards and pleasure gained from their participation in the cause of animal liberation. These included a heightened awareness of political issues, greater self-confidence, the feeling that they were making a difference in the world, and the joy of living a “more meaningful life.”

Gender Politics: The Focus on Women in the Memory Debates.

ABSTRACT This commentary examines how the politics of gender have influenced and shaped the modern debates over sexual abuse and memory. It explores the level of scrutiny applied to women accusers, the language used to characterize women within the debate, and why the sexual abuse memories of women have become the specific and focused target of “false memory proponents and the media”. A comparison is made between tactically similar backlash movements against women and feminism.

Connecting restorative justice with gender-responsive programming

This article reports on the development and use of restorative circles for delinquent girls. Our study focused on a program unique in its goal of blending restorative justice with gender-responsive philosophies and practices. The Amicus Girls Restorative Justice program involved two populations: serious or chronically offending girls at a residential treatment facility and girls on probation or in juvenile detention. Using participant observation and interviews, we demonstrate that restorative gender-responsive programming is still in its infancy, as major elements of restorative justice were absent from one of these sites. The program still serves as an instructive example of a recent innovation, demonstrating that when the vision of restorative gender-responsive programming is most fully actualized, it provides tremendous benefits to girls involved in the justice system.

Imagining Restorative Justice beyond Recidivism

Abstract Recidivism reduction is an important objective of restorative justice programs. However, too much attention to recidivism may marginalize basic goals of restorative justice-particularly that of healing harms. In this paper we speculate on the prospects for restorative justice if recidivism rates of participating offenders were not monitored. We foresee both positive and negative consequences. Neglecting recidivism may undermine relationships between restorative justice programs and government agencies, insofar as the latter are chiefly concerned with offender management. Restorative justice also needs support from a public that wants “results.” Yet, a restorative justice untethered to the recidivism project could deliver the balanced approach it promises, attending to the needs of victim, offender, and community. We conclude that current arrangements, including institutions and attitudes, sustain restorative justice but also constrain what it can be.

Lessons from a restorative circles initiative for intimate partner violence

Abstract There is much debate about the appropriateness of using restorative justice (RJ) to address intimate partner violence (IPV). This qualitative research examines a restorative pilot programme in Minnesota specifically designed for cases of partner violence. The programme involved separate restorative processes for each party—sentencing circles for offenders and support circles for victims. It enlisted the help of family and community members to disrupt abusive patterns. The programme appeared to decrease violent actions of offenders and increase safety, social support and material resources for some victims. The results offer useful lessons for the development of RJ practices for partner violence, including how to integrate the values and practices of RJ with those of the battered womens movement.