Scholars in the past have suggested that gender-based violence (GBV) can be studied with a performativity lens, as the act of violence is performative, which is performed to assert power and machoism over others. This study uses a performativity lens to explore all women's courts’ GBV prevention initiatives that work with the restorative justice approach. While the literature indicated that the restorative approach can be helpful in creating empowering experiences for victims/survivors, many scholars have raised concerns about the reinforcement of gender roles and gender appropriation through the restorative approach. These contrasting perspectives provide opportunities for us to explore the work of women's courts in India that work in rural localities for GBV solutions and prevention. We analyze a few cases of GBV to uncover different performativity aspects in women’s courts’ work. For discussion, we borrowed from Butler's performativity lens. Our analysis adds to the literature on violence and performativity in three ways: (i) it discusses the relationship between GBV and gender performative expectations; (ii) it explores intersectional performative regulations by discussing boundaries of caste, class, and gender; and (iii) it discusses the disciplinary aspects of the women’s court’s application of the restorative approach with Foucauldian perspective. Keywords: Women’s court, Gender-based Violence, Performativity, Intersectionality.
