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Abstract
Empowerment approaches to domestic violence prevention are gaining in popularity because of their commitment to individualized care and recognition that the survivor is the expert of her own life. However, organizations charged with empowering survivors of domestic violence confront paradoxes when putting empowerment theory into practice. To better understand how practitioners address paradoxes of practice, we take a grounded practical theory approach to explore how one domestic violence prevention organization discursively constructs and enacts empowerment in organizational life. Our analysis reveals two paradoxes of practice: (1) a paradox of consistency, and (2) a paradox of transparency. Both paradoxes inform and constrain social change organizing. This study's practical promise is revealed in the discursive strategies employed by organizational members to bridge the gap between empowerment in theory and empowerment in practice.
Acknowledgments
The authors are especially grateful to the Editor, Michele Jackson, the reviewers, and Patrice M. Buzzanell for their assistance with earlier drafts of the manuscript.
Notes
1. The name of the organization has been changed for this study.
2. The authors are included in the total number of HSH volunteers.
3. The reported study is a subset of a larger study that also included 28 interviews with survivors of domestic violence who utilized the services of HSH that yielded 950 pages of double-spaced text.
4. Our results and interpretations are based on a combination of all types of data (e.g., interview, field note, and organizational documents).
5. To maintain the confidentiality of our participants, we use the following labels when introducing a quote: manager, staff member, volunteer, intern, and board member.