(De)Culturalising the problem of men's violences: The case of online debates on violence committed by migrant men

Abstract

This chapter critically engages with online debates on violence against women committed by migrant men. The chapter presents an analysis that shows how the culturalisation of the problem of men’s violences as a distinct problem of non-Western ‘patriarchal’ cultures is employed in online debates with the effect of creating dichotomous distinctions between allegedly ‘gender-equal’ Western men and the ‘patriarchal’ non-Western men, and how this feeds into anti-immigration racism. By delving into the complexities of representing and enacting various forms of men’s violences in online contexts, the analysis identifies intersections between gendered anti-immigration racism and anti-feminist sexism, and illuminates a paradox of attributing sexism to migrant men while concurrently reinforcing sexist discourses on men’s violences. The authors utilise the concept of epistemic violence to shed light on the power dynamics at play in the normalisation of intersectional Othering in online debates. The chapter concludes by advocating for a nuanced understanding of the transhistorical and transnational continuum of patriarchal violences that deconstructs the dichotomous distinctions between violently and regressively patriarchal non-Western men and non-patriarchal Western men. The authors urge a departure from oversimplified culturalisation and emphasise the importance of recognizing intersectional complexities in addressing the problem of men’s violences.