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In Emma Robinson’s time at the University of New Brunswick, she has made an impactful difference at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research at UNB (MMFC). Before she arrived at UNB to pursue a Masters in Sociology, Emma completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in English and Theatre Studies. Gender studies was an area that Emma was captivated by, which eventually led her to learning extensively about the world of domestic and sexual violence. Emma’s Master’s studies have centred around working with youth, women and Christian communities happening across a wide range of research projects at the MMFC, in the community and government.
Sexual Violence and Purity Culture
During Emma’s Masters, one project she is involved in is analyzing the overlap between rape culture and purity culture. Emma aims to determine what normalizes rape culture, the excuses used, and the justification of rape culture. She also seeks to examine the myths of sexual violence and the tendency to blame rape victims while excusing their perpetrators. While considering this, Emma further wishes to examine the specific religious thoughts around waiting until (monogamous, heterosexual) marriage to have sex and the expectations behind this culture. In her research, she found that these expectations are very gendered, particularly towards women- majorly how women choose to dress or behave. Emma hopes that through her research, she can begin to investigate how this is reflected in practice.
It was through this research project that Emma became interested in how religious language plays a role in rape culture acceptance and how religious concepts can be a barrier to survivors coming forward.When survivors do come forward, though, Emma wants to understand how we can better support them after they decide to disclose this information.
Religious Language and its Relation to Corporal Punishment
This work with religious language and its relation to rape culture acceptance also led Emma to explore how religious language frames violence. For Emma’s work concerning the issue, she analyzed conservative Christian communities and how they religiously justified the abuse.
In light of this, Emma, alongside co-author Sue Nunn, wanted to explore how Evangelical Christian parents understand corporal punishment, which is sometimes encouraged in Evangelical contexts using religiously informed language such as “spare the rod, spoil the child” and presented as something distinct from physical abuse despite its harmful nature. While some researchers have argued that the religious framing and normalization of corporal punishment in Evangelical contexts could be a protective factor for children (therefore making it distinct from other forms of physical abuse), Emma found, in her review of the literature, that survivors of religiously-justified abuse, including corporal punishment, faced more negative outcomes than survivors of abuse that was not religiously-justified, even if the act was not identified by the participants as abusive at the time. This work eventually was translated into a book where the aim was to help service providers and to supply answers in a more religious language that would stand against the use of violence while addressing doubts.
Children and Violence
Another substantial project Emma was involved in while at the MMFC was through a partnership with the Women’s Equality Branch of the provincial government. During this project, she was contemplating ways of preventing crime, responding to violence, and supporting children who have had exposure to domestic violence or DV. Research has shown that children’s exposure to DV is the most significant risk factor for perpetrating DV in adulthood and the second most significant risk factor for being a victim of DV. The goal of the study was to look at what was happening on the ground provincially and what recommendations service providers have who work with children.
The team reviewed programs supporting children who have been affected by domestic intimate partner violence or DIPV, and have been living in homes with DIPV. Individuals who parent in the presence of DIPV were also considered by the team. One difficulty a child in this situation often faces is the issue of maintaining a relationship with both parents, especially in the event of separation. Even in circumstances where abuse is prevalent, it is typical for the abuser to receive some degree of custody over the child. There are programs here in Canada, such as Caring Dads in Ontario, that work with Dads who have perpetrated DIPV to help them improve as parents since DIPV is often associated with maladaptive parenting practices. The victimized parent can also benefit from support because having a relationship with their child can be an influential protective factor.
During this project, Emma connected with many branches of society that deal with DV, such as law enforcement, schools, healthcare, and people working in DV sectors. The study had eight bilingual focus groups throughout the province. Considering the impact that living in a home with violence can have on children, the importance of this study should not be understated.
Reflecting on Religious Views
One of Emma’s most recent projects was a qualitative research study that incorporated three stages. For stage one, Emma completed a content analysis on conservative Christian dating advice books and the presentation of sexual assault in the books. She tracked the labelling of incidents of sexual assault in the books or if it was even labelled. From this labelling of sexual assault, she found that victim blame was a prominent factor in how authors framed sexual assault narratives. Authors often failed to accurately label sexual assault narratives in which the victim was engaging in religiously-discouraged behaviours – instead implying that the perpetrator’s violence was normal and justified given the victim’s deviance from purity codes.
Considering these findings, Emma created vignettes depicting sexual assault that varied the degree to which the victim was adhering to those purity codes. In stage two, focus groups with Christian young adults here in New Brunswick looked at the vignettes with their responses being measured and recorded. The focus groups consisted of men and women, to see gender differences among victim-blame, especially in a religious context. Through this measurement, Emma was hoping to distill what the role of purity culture is in attitudes toward sexual assault among Christian young adults.
In the final stage, Emma conducted one-on-one interviews with the Christian young adults. Individual interviews had the goal of abandoning a group dynamic to focus on individual perspective in hopes of getting rid the pressure to respond in a certain way when in a group setting. It was crucial for individuals to feel that they could express their views that may be different from the dominant voice in the group.
Aside from being a primary contributor to many research projects at the MMFC, Emma works to inform the public about family violence. On the MMFC blog, you can find posts written by Emma speaking about religiously justified abuse incidences. She also helps with the development of online resources by translating research done in an area often dominated by non-religious or secular feminist researchers into a language that will appeal to conservative religious leaders. Through these online resources, Emma helps feminist service providers understand conservative religious people facing DV and experience more sensitivity towards clients that approach them. Emma has also played a role in a project called Interfaith PhotoVoice. These are powerful online images that aim to start difficult conversations concerning family violence. These depictions come from both Christians and Muslims who shared their everyday religion and the challenges they face. The project aspires to break down the stereotypes of oppression that follow religions. It has also been featured in an art gallery and will soon be turned into a book publication.
The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research
Emma is an excellent example of the impact a student can make in their work at the MMFC. The MMFC has a rich network of connections that will help students contribute to a significant issue and gain diverse skills. At the MMFC, Emma has had the opportunity to work in various levels of government, as an editorial assistant on two book projects, and led research projects. Emma had the chance to connect with people who were passionate about similar issues and gained experiential learning opportunities from applied research. The MMFC also helped Emma realize she is passionate about working in community-based, government, or policymakers’ organizations.
“Center provides students with extraordinary opportunities to engage in research that makes a difference”- Cathy Holtmann, Director of the MMFC
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