ANTI–DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COALITION PRACTICE: THEORIZING COLLABORATION AND PARTICIPATION

Abstract

The persistence of domestic violence continues to be a significant social problem throughout the world. In the United States, approximately one in four women will experience at least one form of violence during the course of her lifetime. In response to this epidemic, community‐based coalitions have emerged to provide emergency shelter and advocacy services to victims and their families. This article focuses on one anti–domestic violence coalition to examine two areas of coalition practice. First, coalition collaboration occurs as a means for responding to the scarcity of resources within a community, thereby linking coalition practice to larger political‐economic structures. Secondly, coalition members are motivated to participate in coalitions as a way of expressing their commitment to and identification with a larger feminist social movement. With a deeper appreciation of the political‐economic constraints that necessitate collaboration and a greater understanding of coalition members’ motivations for participation in an underfunded coalition, this article considers the theoretical expansion of coalition research and offers considerations for coalition practice.