Understanding the problem of woman abuse requires attention to the cultural context in which it occurs. American Muslim women are a group whose culturally specific experiences of abuse in families have remained largely unstudied. To address this gap in knowledge, this study examined the cultural context of abuse among American Muslim women using an interpretive approach. This article examines culturally specific marriage practices and the ways that these practices interwine with women's abuse experiences. Findings indicate that American Muslim women's marriage practices are distinctly different from dominant American practices and that these practices significantly shape abuse experiences over time.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ali, M. (n.d.). The religion of Islam. United Arab Emirates National Publication and Printing.
2.
Ali, Y. (1993). The meaning of the Holy Qur'an—New edition with revised translation and commentary. Brentwood, MD: Amana.
3.
Benner, P. (1994). The tradition and skill of interpretive phenomenology in studying health, illness, and caring practices. In P. Benner (Ed.), Interpretive phenomenology: Embodiment, caring and ethics in health and illness (pp. 99-128). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
4.
Campbell, J. (1998). Making the health care system an empowerment zone for battered women: Health consequences, policy recommendations, introduction, and overview. In J. Campbell (Ed.), Empowering survivors of abuse: Health care for battered women and their children (pp. 3-22). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5.
Creswell, J. (1988). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
6.
Family Violence Prevention Fund . (1993). Beating wife beating: A national poll. San Francisco: Author.
7.
Hermansen, M. (1991). Two-way acculturation: Muslim women in America between individual choice (liminality) and community affiliation (communitas). In Y. Haddad (Ed.), The Muslims of America (pp. 188-204). New York: Oxford University Press.
8.
Kosmin, B. , & Lachman, S. (1993). One nation under God: Religion in contemporary American society. New York: Crown.
9.
Miller, R. , & Browning, S. (1999). The importance of a multicultural approach. Journal of Family Issues, 20, 596-601.
10.
Nursing Research Consortium on Violence and Abuse . (1990). A protocol of safety: Research on abuse of women. Nursing Research, 39, 248-250.
11.
Phillips, D. (1998). Culture and systems of oppression: Locating abused women's lives. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 27, 678-683.
12.
Phillips, D. (1999). American Muslim women's experiences of abuse: A narrative study of life, meaning, and culture. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland.
13.
Plichta, S. (1997). Violence, health and the use of health services. In M. Falik & K. Collins (Eds.), Women's health: The Commonwealth Fund Survey. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
14.
Power, C. (1998, March). A Muslim metamorphosis. The Oregonian, p. 3.
15.
Sherif, B. (1999). The prayer of a married man is equal to seventy prayers of a single man. Journal of Family Issues, 20, 617-632.
16.
Stone, C. (1991). Estimate of Muslims living in America. In Y. Haddad (Ed.), The Muslims of America (pp. 25-38). New York: Oxford University Press.
17.
Van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for action sensitive pedagogy. Ontario, Canada: Althouse.
