This project was motivated completely by professor Herbst. I entered her sociological methods class with little to no idea of what I was getting myself into. I thought the class would be boring, after all it is a methods class. Looking around the room one of the first days I saw a classroom filled with women, with the occasional man scattered about. One of the first things we learned about was othering, "when a divide is created between 'us' and 'them'", and I had already done it:
I wasn't one of
them.
What did that mean for me? I don't really know to this day, but I do know that I was called to question my own words, to avoid othering by choosing my words carefully. One day we were all asked if we were feminists. Now while this might sound strange if you have read my "About Me" you might understand why I would answer this question yes. I might not be a feminist as your stereotypical portrayal might look and act, but I believe in gender equality, I hope it is something I fight for.
This might explain why I suggested the topic of domestic violence for this project. I must admit that at the time I was stuck in my heteronormative way of thinking and thought of domestic violence as men hitting women. However, this was only my initial way of thinking because of the way society has shaped my thinking. I was encouraged by my professor to continue my research to keep the website updated, and to learn more. I quickly used my sociological imagination and thought about all of the other forms of domestic violence: women abusing men, men abusing men, women abusing women, adults abusing children, siblings abusing siblings. Domestic violence exists on so many levels.
This helped me to think about domestic violence on a larger scale and look for some other programs around the world. You will see from the You-Tube clips that this is indeed a global issue. While I was able to look at this on a larger level I was yet to think about it on a smaller one. As I have stated, I have never been a victim of domestic violence and I am not close with anyone that I know has been abused. So while it was easy to see on a larger scale it took a longer period of time to bring it down to a smaller scale.
I finally decided to take a look at Syracuse University, something that I can connect with, to see what they have done to take a stand against domestic violence. I was happy to learn of some organizations I had never heard of before that are here to help those that have been abused, and others that show their support against domestic violence. The fact that I am a graduating senior and did not know about these programs made me think about my failures to explore and their failure to contact me.
I did not want the same thing to happen with this website, I want word to get out and people to know and to share. I created my own flier that I posted around campus in an attempt to let others know about this website and hopefully use it as a resource. If this site helps one person learn, stop abusing, become a supporter, or seek help then it has been a success. I hope that others will contribute so that everyone's voice can be heard and the fight against domestic violence can grow stronger.
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