Re: culture and coercion

Jay Lemke (JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU)
Fri, 10 May 96 23:22:15 EDT

I find 'pain' a useful criterion for coercion (though not sufficient
by itself, of course) precisely because it is both 'subjective', that
is a function of individual-level response (including social and
cultural habitus, norms, etc.) and also a matter of _degree_. I think
that too often we tend to simply categorize things as 'constraint'
_or_ 'coercion' when clearly we are talking about a sort of complex
pleasure-pain continuum (or even multi-dimensional topology). It's
a long way in my phenomenological experience of life from minor
inconveniences to discomfort to hardship to serious emotional upset
and or significant physical pain to the higher degrees I will spare us
characterizing here. Intensity, duration, meaning, context, sense of
necessity, inevitability, predictability, etc. etc. all contribute
to our evaluation of 'pains' (and pleasures), constraints, coercions,
etc. And to their effectiveness for social control. I think it would
be very valuable to (and I've started a bit to) map out the domains
of pain-related phenomena/experiences (and their pleasure analogues),
to have a better conceptualized tool for talking about the role of
the body's (our embodiedness') 'irritability/sensitivity/vulnerability'
to stimulus/pleasure/pain in the integration of individuals into
ecosocial systems. One small aspect of this is the minor-to-major
coercions of schooling, child-rearing practices, etc. Hence my
interest. JAY.

JAY LEMKE.
City University of New York.
BITNET: JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM
INTERNET: JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU