Hostages of/by the Language: The Origins, Process and Consequences of (Not) Talking About Domestic and Gender-based Violence in Poland
Abstract
Domestic and gender-based violence (D/GBV) in Poland has long been relegated to the margins of political, legal, and social agendas, as it was overshadowed by “more pressing” issues such as economic transition, EU accession, or wartime security. Despite Poland’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention (2015), its implementation remains partial and contested. Scholarship has documented the silencing and invisibilisation of women and children in contexts of D/GBV and international politics (e.g., Enloe), yet little attention has been paid to language as a literal and discursive barrier and opportunity in this regard. This paper asks how women and children are “hostages of/by language”. Drawing on feminist critical discourse analysis, sociological imagination, and norm translation theory, we analyse Polish politicians’ speeches, media reporting, and Catholic Church communications (2015–2025) to show how discursive silences and terminological struggles obstruct recognition and policy, making naming a necessary condition for protection.
Author Biography
Patrycja Buxton
Dr Patrycja Sosnowska-Buxton is a Senior Researcher and Research Manager at Famflex Centre of Excellence, Antwerp University, Belgium and a Human Rights consultant. She is interested in feminist research praxis, sensitive and taboo topics, in particular, in relation to women and “other” families in the context of domestic violence. Her book Reimagining Stepmother: A Feminist Analysis of Step(m)otherings (Bristol University Press) was published in May 2025.
Aneta Ostaszewska
Dr Aneta Ostaszewska is a feminist researcher working as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialization at the University of Warsaw. Founder of the Centre on Women’s and Gender Research. She recently published a book entitled Becoming bell hooks. A story about self-empowerment of a Black girl who became a feminist (WUW 2023, open access).