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On Suffering and Structural Violence: A View from Below
Abstract
veryone knows that suffering exists. The question is howtodefineit.Giventhateachperson’spainhasa degreeofrealityforhimorherthatthepainofothers cansurelyneverapproach,iswidespreadagreementonthesub jectpossible?Almostallofuswouldagreethatprematureand painfulillness,torture,andrapeconstituteextremesuffering. Mostwouldalsoagreethatinsidiousassaultsondignity,suchas institutionalizedracismandsexism,alsocausegreatandunjust injury. Givenourconsensusonsomeofthemoreconspicuousforms ofsuffering,anumberofcorollaryquestionscometothefore. Canweidentifythosemostatriskofgreatsuffering?Among those whose suffering is not mortal, is it possible to identify thosemostlikelytosustainpermanentanddisablingdamage? Arecertain“event”assaults,suchastortureorrape,morelikely toleadtolatesequelaethanaresustainedandinsidioussuffer ing,suchasthepainbornofdeeppovertyorofracism?Under thislatterrubric,arecertainformsofdiscriminationdemonstra blymorenoxiousthanothers? Anthropologistswhotaketheseasresearchquestionsstudy bothindividualexperienceandthelargersocialmatrixinwhich it is embedded in order to see how various large-scale social forcescometobetranslatedintopersonaldistressanddisease. Bywhatmechanismsdosocialforcesrangingfrompovertyto racismbecomeembodied asindividualexperience?Thishasbeen thefocusofmostofmyownresearchinHaiti,wherepolitical andeconomicforceshavestructuredriskforAIDS,tuberculosis, and,indeed,mostotherinfectiousandparasiticdiseases.Social forcesatworktherehavealsostructuredriskformostformsof extremesuffering,fromhungertotortureandrape.
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Cited by
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(1996) · Emerging Infectious Diseases · doi:10.3201/eid0204.960402 · Cited by 482
Self-citationTsai, A. C., & Burns, B. F. O. (2015) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.06.024 · Cited by 227
Gill, L. (2016) · doi:10.1215/9780822374701 · Cited by 173
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Kienzler, H. (2008) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.030 · Cited by 171
Koester, S., Mueller, S. R., Raville, L., Langegger, S., & Binswanger, I. A. (2017) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.06.008 · Cited by 165
Metadata
- Authors
- Farmer, P.
- Venue
- Social Suffering
- Publisher
- University of California Press
- Published
- 1998-12-31
- Pages
- 261-284
- OpenAlex
- W2167396480
- Cited by
- 777
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 50.15
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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