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‘Invisible Yet Static’: An Analysis of Structural Violence with Reference to Kilvenmani Massacre, India

Jeya Sankar Sangeetha, Sengottaian Mohan, Anandhan Hariharasudan and Anandhan Antony Athithan

Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Volume 30, Issue 3, September 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.30.3.21

Keywords: Gender, Kilvenmani massacre, legal interventions, politics, structural violence

Published on: 6 September 2022

Violence remains one of modern society’s most pressing global public health issues. As a result, the current study’s objective is to examine the text, The Gypsy Goddess, in the concept of Structural Violence, which is one of the most lethal forms of violence, from a broader perspective in terms of political, economic, gender and health aspects. The methodology of the study incorporates a documentary text, The Gypsy Goddess by Meena Kandasamy, which aids with the illustrations of actual records and a survey of the victims of the Kilvenmani massacre, which happened in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, in which poor agricultural peasants were burned alive by wealthy landlords. The study’s major findings offer a comprehensive look at the physical and psychological causes and consequences of underlying Structural Violence processes worldwide with reference to the select text. According to the text, the study’s findings suggest that structural violence contributing factors are multifaceted and systemic. Besides, it reveals that people’s collective efforts, combined with modified legal interventions, can help combat Structural Violence by creating awareness and providing impoverished communities with adequate services and resources.

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JSSH-8519-2021

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