Violence and State Accountability: Critical Race Feminism

This article begins with a brief historical account of Critical Race Feminism (CRF). The essay acknowledges CRF's ties to forerunners such as Critical Legal Studies, Critical Race Theory, and Feminist Legal Theory but also points out where CRF diverges from these movements. Using the narrative method characteristic of critical race feminists, the author discusses violence and state responsibility in the United States, Bosnia, South Africa and Palestine. Part II introduces the concept of global mulitiplicative identities by discussing how issues such as ethnicity, religion, sexuality, race, gender and citizenship/nationality intersect. Part III applies CRF analysis to gang involvement and criminality, with specific reference to Black American women. Part IV examines existing strategies and programs in the United States. Part V analyzes rape and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, domestic violence in South Africa and customary law in Palestine through the lens of CRF. The purpose of the article is to encourage the use of CRF analysis and praxis (a combination of theory and practice) at a local, international and global level, in order to devise more effective solutions for violence against women.