Silence and Visual Representations of Anti-Violence Campaigns in Cosmopolitan Brisbane

Abstract

In spite of the growing public focus on domestic violence (DV) in mainstream Australian society, ethnographers have remained aloof from analysing this problem. In an ethnographic study in the Brisbane region, I analysed people’s perceptions of anti-violence images that were part of a public campaign and assessed the appropriateness of the images’ locations. Occasionally, my interlocutors unexpectedly included accounts of DV. My analysis reveals the tensions between public display and the concealment underlying the campaign. The interlocutors revealed experiences of competing responsibilities related to DV. The use of subtle images of anti-violence in locations filled with competing images, coupled with a failure to consider historical continuities and changes in local imaginaries of violence, exposed the difficulties associated with conveying persuasive messages of DV prevention.

Victimization Experience and Perceived Benefits of Institutional and Commercial Advertising Campaigns in the Fight against Domestic Violence

“…However, they wondered whether the impact produced on a victim of domestic violence (who is, in fact, the target of that particular campaign) would not cause an even greater distancing from support institutions since most victims do not see themselves as such. In fact, some domestic violence campaigns may go unnoticed or might even be mistaken for something else due to the absence of more intense stimuli (Igreja 2018). As we have seen, strong feelings in an advertisement affect its neutrality and start to influence us (O'Shaughnessy and O'Shaughnessy 2004), even though the emotions evoked may not correspond to the emotions that its producers intended to depict in the message (Hamby and Jones 2022).…”

“…The emphasis on the victimization process by the media may suggest that the victims are, in fact, responsible for maintaining the situation (Berns 2004;Correia et al 2017). In addition, the focus on the woman victim and the man aggressor can evoke default behaviours, as it does not represent the phenomenon in a comprehensive manner (Igreja 2018;Keller et al 2010;Keller and Honea 2016). Understanding domestic violence as a cultural problem rooted in gender inequality (Goodman and Epstein 2008;Lisboa et al 2009;Saffioti and Almeida 1995) is to discuss the power imbalance between males and females in our society.…”

“…However, the perspective of characterizing the victim of domestic violence as belonging to a class of vulnerable subjects and the post-incident "victim" status has been questioned by feminist scholars (Igreja 2018;Lamb 1999;Mulla and Hlavka 2011). The permanent characterization of this person as a "victim" is pointed out as a paternalistic form of diminishing the subject (Lamb 1999); an alternative stance is that of giving voice to these "moral agents" (Mulla and Hlavka 2011), who can speak with authority about the theme of domestic violence (Igreja 2018;Mulla and Hlavka 2011). also refute this deterministic idea, which does nothing to empower victims or reinforce the social response to the problem of domestic violence.…”

“…An anthropological study was also found on the reactions of people at train and bus stations to domestic violence campaigns (Igreja 2018). Igreja (2018) carried out a study using the tool of ethnography within the field of anthropological studies, in which there was interaction with people in train stations, buses and public bathrooms, where two domestic violence posters were displayed. In one of them, there was a representation of a woman looking sad and confused with her hands on her head and the blurred image of a man hovering behind her.…”