Listening Against the Grain of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: A Framework for Listening Otherwise

South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the world. Despite many interventions, GBV remains an intractable social problem. This study uses grounded theory approaches to investigate the relationship between listening and GBV. The concept of “listening otherwise” is explored alongside the concepts “speak out” and “break the silence” that are the most visible and codified strategies in the fight against GBV. The three central questions of the study ask: what factors shape the listening habitus of South Africans with regard to GBV? As individuals and as a society, how can we best listen when faced with GBV? And what are practical considerations to guide journalists who report on issues of GBV? This conceptual article was developed following a years long study that used grounded theory methods for data collection and analysis. The research found that the public’s listening practices around gender-based violence are shaped by patriarchal cultures and rape myths which are endemic in media discourses, legal discourses and in general social talk. The research presents a framework for listening otherwise, as a contribution to listening scholarship and the activism against GBV. The framework includes six conceptual considerations and six actions for listening otherwise.