Textual construction of domestic violence: examples from Kiswahili novels

Abstract

This article discusses dominant discourses in the field of violence against women¹ as articulated in Kiswahili novel. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis, the article illustrates the discursive strategies employed by Kiswahili novelists to explain the problem of violence against women. It reveals that the novelists foregrounded dominant discourses which exonerate abusive men from responsibility while placing responsibility on women. The author argues that this perspective plays a vital role in resisting feminist efforts to situate the social problem in patriarchal framework and strategically holds back efforts for ending violence against women in Tanzanian society. The main implication of this perspective is to normalize violence against women and the patriarchal system that sustain the abuse.