Abstract
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a prevalent issue on a global scale, but the effects of such violence upon Asian/Asian American communities in the United States is compounded by their immigrant, refugee, and/or other historically marginalized identities. While current literature recognizes GBV as a public health issue of equity and social justice, anthropology closely examines the asymmetry of power by informing a holistic view of local contexts. The research examines the perspectives of Asian-identifying frontline workers within domestic violence agencies and multi-service organizations in Chicagoland. Frontline workers, such as social workers and legal advocates, play a pivotal role in serving survivors and offering intimate local-level knowledge. Feminist ethnography grounded in Asian American Critical Race Theory (AsianCrit) guided data collection and analysis. Ethnographic fieldwork at a local domestic violence agency for six (6) weeks was conducted and fourteen (14) key informant interviews with frontline workers from five (5) non- profits across Chicagoland took place. The analysis demonstrates that their labor as influenced by personal life histories, or “radical caring,” provides agency to survivors on the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels, aligning with the WHO Socio-Ecological Framework for Violence Prevention. The positionality of frontline workers is crucial in eradicating gender-based violence and resisting the structural violence affecting all female and non-binary people of color. Highlighting the advocacy of frontline workers broadens interdisciplinary understandings of gender-based violence in anthropology, public health, critical race studies, and other social science disciplines.