Confronting “Structures of Violence”: Women’s Empowerment and the Legacy of Paul Farmer

Abstract

This chapter examines the work of the late Dr. Paul Farmer, in particular his concept of “structures of violence” and how they oppress the poor. Poorer women of color remain at disproportionate risk of ill health and social exclusion, and so their empowerment is a vital step towards securing fundamental human rights, including access to adequate healthcare. Farmer’s work provides a valuable resource for theological ethics, for it addresses issues that are often neglected or under-represented within magisterial teaching. It is argued that Farmer’s analysis of “structures of violence” could shed new light on our theology of social sin, and that his writings on women’s rights have an important contribution to make to Catholic ethical discourse today.