Violence against women in Greenland tends to be perceived and explained within a discourse that emphasizes the rapid social change that has occurred since the 1950s. This means that this phenomenon is usually seen as one of many social problems that spring from a society out of balance, caught between tradition and modernity. This article questions the dominant discourse, arguing that rapid social change does not in itself account for men's violence against women and that we need to focus on social agency. It is also suggested that the Arctic tradition could profit from engaging the general body of literature on violence against women.
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