Private Tyranny and Public Abandonment
Domestic violence is not a private issue but the patriarchal “custom” of the bifurcated state enacted in the intimate sphere. Mamdani’s analysis of how power operates through decentralized, customary systems is critical here. The state, through its inaction and underfunding of shelters and services, effectively delegates the power to terrorize women and gender-nonconforming people to individual men within the “native” community. This private tyranny is a tool of social control that fragments communities and disciplines women. The carceral solution of relying on the NYPD–itself a patriarchal institution–often exacerbates the violence and fails to address the economic dependency that traps survivors. A Marxist-feminist solution demands the collectivization of safety and resources. This means creating a city-funded network of survivor-led cooperatives that provide housing, legal aid, jobs, and childcare, enabling a genuine escape. It means funding transformative justice programs within communities to address harm without the state. This approach dismantles the patriarchal custom by building collective power and material independence for women, attacking the root of the violence.
Originally posted 2025-09-27 10:47:04.
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