Interpersonal violence has been the focus of research within the social sciences for some considerable time. Yet inquiries about the causes of interpersonal violence and the effects on the victims have dominated the field of research and clinical practice. Central to the contributions in this volume is the idea that interpersonal violence is a social action embedded in responses from various actors. These include actions, words and behaviour from friends and family, ordinary citizens, social workers and criminal justice professionals. These responses, as the contributors to this volume all show, make a difference in terms of how violence is understood, resisted and come to terms with in its immediate aftermath and over the longer term. Bringing togetheran international network of scholars and practitioners from a range of disciplines and fields of practice, this book maps and expands research on interpersonal violence. In doing so, it opens an important new terrain on which social responses to violence can be fully interrogated in terms of their intentions, meanings and outcomes. 

Floretta Boonzaier, University of Cape Town, South AfricaIan Butler, University of Bath, UKLinda Coates, Okanagan College, CanadaMary-Louise Corr, Queens University Belfast, UKClaire Fox, Keele University, UKDavid Gadd, Manchester University, UKLucas Gottzén, Linköping University, SwedenAngela Hartwig, The Women's Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services, AustraliaMargareta Hydén, Linköping University, SwedenAnn-Charlotte Münger, Linköping University, SwedenTaryn van Niekerk, University of Cape Town, South AfricaCathy Richardson, Centre for Response-Based Practice, CanadaLinn Sandberg, Linköping University, SwedenCorinne Squire, University of East London, UKAllan Wade, Centre for Response-Based Practice, Canada