Men’s Work by Luke Daniels, Hnasib Publications, 2017.
By Petamber Persaud
Riding high on top of choppy waves he pebbled into play with his first book, Pulling the Punches: Defeating Domestic Violence, Luke Daniels now creates a tsunami with his new book, Defeating Domestic Violence in the Americas: Men’s Work by contending that domestic violence is ‘politically motivated violence in support of patriarchy’, pointing out that the social structure is designed whereby mainly men are put in charge of state apparatus and mainly men becoming policy makers, holders of high offices, heading other organisations like military, political, religious, social, endowing them with wealth and power exercising control, sometimes absolute control. Daniels also shows how this pandemic of violence thrives in a climate of inequality, machismo, and lack of respect fuel by the socialisation for violence in the movies, violent video games and in sports like boxing.
Although this book focuses on the Americas (referring to the Caribbean, Central, South and North America), the ground rules are the same for any society in which domestic violence is allowed to prevail and fester. By constantly using the phrase ‘men’s work’ with supporting facts and figures, the author repeatedly emphasises that domestic violence is not only a women’s issue. The phrase ‘men’s work’ is pregnant with all manner of connotations for individuals who are burdened by historical bagg
age thrust upon them and contemporary constraints of neo-liberal society. The phrase ‘men’s work’ points fingers directly at governments which are led mainly by men and whose role it is to protect its citizens (the UN proclamation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 10, 1948). Governments have access to resources and have the power to end violence and as the author contends ‘it is a dereliction of duty to pass the buck to charitable organisations, women’s organisations or non-governmental organisations (NGOs)’.
This book challenges men, especially men in government, to take the responsibility seriously of ending all violence by putting forward ‘solutions for government to bring an end to socialisation for violence’. This book, like his first, rests firmly on the conviction that there is a beginning and there must be an end.
To this end, the author gives a detail history of violence, hoping that ‘raising awareness about our history of violence will help towards a positive change in attitudes and behaviours’.
One commentator says, ‘Daniels roots his analysis on the systemic violence intrinsic in the process of discovery, conquest, exploitation, slavery, colonialism and its corollary in the Americas: the rise of …imperialism’.
Along the way, the author demolishes many myths about violence towards women and hints at solutions: end inequality, defeat machismo, provide justice, enforce domestic violence laws, control violent TV programmes, protect young people from violent video games and support art and culture that promote non-violence. Defeating Domestic Violence in the Americas: Men’s Work is made up of ten chapters with notes, an introduction, a bibliography, and an index, all designed to bring elucidation and elicit action in such a way as to vindicate the book’s premise: there is a beginning and there must be an end.
This book may not win a popularity contest but it will be one of the books that will make a difference to our world. Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
