Abstract

In immigrant-receiving countries, domestic violence is usually discussed in the broad context of gender inequality among immigrant communities. These debates focus mainly on culture turning between “cultural relativism” and “universalism”. The paper starts with the critical definition of culture. It explores two common perspectives in details. Each of these two views has been substantially criticized by the opposite side. The paper questions the binary interpretation of domestic violence as either cultural or patriarchal. By examining two perspectives, the paper will argue for the necessity of applying feminist intersectional theory to explore the link of domestic violence and culture. By taking the intersectional theory both structural factors and culture as contributing factors in violence against women will be addressed.