Abstract

The problem of male violence has been thoroughly described and condemned as a pervasive and dangerous presence in democracy. The World Health Organization estimates that across the globe, men will murder, rape or physically abuse or assault one in three women. These are indeed dark times. Yet social scientists who routinely investigate key concepts in sociology and political science (e.g., violence, power, and agency) have failed to turn their lens adequately to male violence. It is critical to understand the relationship between power, agency, and freedom on the one hand, and male violence on the other, because the continued presence of male violence represents a threat not only to the women and men who are directly victims—but also a threat to democracy itself. Employing and extending Arendtian theory, this article describes male violence as a kind of mythologized system where men acting violently is a well-accepted norm. Presenting specific tools that the author has used to reduce male violence via a local anti-male violence program, the paper connects a theoretical understanding grounded in the social sciences to a practical violence-prevention experience.