The Social Costs of Intimate Partner Violence: A Spatial Analysis of Negotiating Violence in Ghana and Pakistan

This article makes a novel contribution to the literature on the impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV) through a qualitative study across specific spaces in Ghana and Pakistan, namely home, work, religious institutions, and marketplaces. We argue that women's ability to capitalize on the symbolic and material value of place is crucially mediated by violence. We further argue that the impacts of IPV in relation to use of space are intensified by the threat of re-perpetration and the stigma associated with IPV. The article thus contributes a spatial analysis to the understanding of the costs of IPV, including the complex dynamics of IPV beyond the domestic space.