Being Known : Mutual Surveillance in the House Group / Etre connu : Surveillance mutuelle dans la « maisonnée » religieuse - article ; n°1 ; vol.89, pg 113-126

Tony Walter

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Archives des sciences sociales des religions - Année 1995 - Volume 89 - Numéro 1 - Pages 113-126
La soif moderne d'intimité a un prix : le risque de ne pas être connu des autres, qui induit à son tour celui une d'identité personnelle fragile. Dans un tel contexte, les églises de plus en plus nombreuses organisées en maisonnées peuvent séduire, et la surveillance mutuelle qu'implique leur forme d'organisation peut être accueillie favorablement. L'auteur explore les dynamiques de ces églises, et y repère une tendance au renforcement de la frontière séparant l'église de la communauté globale qui lui est extérieure, et à un affaiblissement de celle qui délimite les territoires distincts de l'église et de la famille. L'accent mis sur les sentiments et sur les valeurs de partage tend à faire émerger deux groupes : ceux qui ont dans l'église une confiance suffisante pour partager, et les autres. Ce processus est renforcé par l'architecture circulaire selon laquelle ces groupes sont organisés. Une comparaison est faite entre l'étendue de la surveillance telle qu'elle s'exerce au sein de ces groupes et les autres formes qu'elle prend. Enfin, l'auteur étudie l'influence que peuvent exercer des sentiments comme l'amour et la confiance sur cette surveillance.
The modem desire for privacy entails a cost - the danger of not being known, and therefore of a fragile personal identity. In this context, churches organised around the caring house group (of which there are a steadily increasing number) can be attractive, and the mutual surveillance that this entails welcomed. The dynamics of such churches are explored: there is a tendency to strengthen the boundary between the church and the community outside but to weaken the boundary between church and family; the emphasis on 'sharing' and on 'feelings' tends to divide those who trust enough to share, from those who do not - a process reinforced by the circular architecture associated with these groups; surveillance in these groups is compared with other forms of surveillance. Finally, the question of the extent to which love and trust transform surveillance is discussed.
La sed moderna de intimidad tiene un precio : el riesgo de no ser conocido por los otros, reconocimiento que implica la fragilidad de la identidad per sonal. En este contexto las iglesias que son cada vez más numerosas en concentrarse en el hogar familiar, pueden ser atractivas y la vigilancia mutua asociada a sus formas de organización puede tener éxito. El autor explora las dinámicas de estas iglesias, y pone en relieve una tendencia de las iglesias a separarse de la communidad global exterior , y otra tendencia que consiste en disminuir la distinción entre iglesia y familia. El acento aportado en sentimientos y a los valores de «reparto» tiende a producir dos grupos : los que tienen suficiente confianza en la iglesia para «compartir», y los demás. La arquitectura circular de estos grupos refuerza este proceso. El autor compara además la vigilancia que se ejerce en el seno de estos grupos con otras formas de vigilancia. Por último, el autor estudia la influencia que sentimientos como el amor la confianza pueden tener en esta vigilancia.
14 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

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• Publié par: Archives-des-sciences-sociales-des-religions
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1995
• Nombre de lectures: 17
• Langue: Español
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Tony Walter
Being Known : Mutual Surveillance in the House Group / Etre
connu : Surveillance mutuelle dans la « maisonnée » religieuse
In: Archives des sciences sociales des religions. N. 89, 1995. pp. 113-126.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Walter Tony. Being Known : Mutual Surveillance in the House Group / Etre connu : Surveillance mutuelle dans la « maisonnée »
religieuse. In: Archives des sciences sociales des religions. N. 89, 1995. pp. 113-126.
doi : 10.3406/assr.1995.981
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/assr_0335-5985_1995_num_89_1_981Resumen
La sed moderna de intimidad tiene un precio : el riesgo de no ser conocido por los otros,
reconocimiento que implica la fragilidad de la identidad per sonal. En este contexto las iglesias que son
cada vez más numerosas en concentrarse en el hogar familiar, pueden ser atractivas y la vigilancia
mutua asociada a sus formas de organización puede tener éxito. El autor explora las dinámicas de
estas iglesias, y pone en relieve una tendencia de las iglesias a separarse de la communidad global
exterior , y otra tendencia que consiste en disminuir la distinción entre iglesia y familia. El acento
aportado en sentimientos y a los valores de «reparto» tiende a producir dos grupos : los que tienen
suficiente confianza en la iglesia para «compartir», y los demás. La arquitectura circular de estos
grupos refuerza este proceso. El autor compara además la vigilancia que se ejerce en el seno de estos con otras formas de vigilancia. Por último, el autor estudia la influencia que sentimientos como
el amor la confianza pueden tener en esta vigilancia.
Abstract
The modem desire for privacy entails a cost - the danger of not being known, and therefore of a fragile
personal identity. In this context, churches organised around the caring house group (of which there are
a steadily increasing number) can be attractive, and the mutual surveillance that this entails welcomed.
The dynamics of such churches are explored: there is a tendency to strengthen the boundary between
the church and the community outside but to weaken the boundary between church and family; the
emphasis on 'sharing' and on 'feelings' tends to divide those who trust enough to share, from those who
do not - a process reinforced by the circular architecture associated with these groups; surveillance in
these groups is compared with other forms of surveillance. Finally, the question of the extent to which
love and trust transform surveillance is discussed.
Résumé
La soif moderne d'intimité a un prix : le risque de ne pas être connu des autres, qui induit à son tour
celui une d'identité personnelle fragile. Dans un tel contexte, les églises de plus en plus nombreuses
organisées en "maisonnées" peuvent séduire, et la surveillance mutuelle qu'implique leur forme
d'organisation peut être accueillie favorablement. L'auteur explore les dynamiques de ces églises, et y
repère une tendance au renforcement de la frontière séparant l'église de la communauté globale qui lui
est extérieure, et à un affaiblissement de celle qui délimite les territoires distincts de l'église et de la
famille. L'accent mis sur les sentiments et sur les valeurs de "partage" tend à faire émerger deux
groupes : ceux qui ont dans l'église une confiance suffisante pour "partager", et les autres. Ce
processus est renforcé par l'architecture circulaire selon laquelle ces groupes sont organisés. Une
comparaison est faite entre l'étendue de la surveillance telle qu'elle s'exerce au sein de ces groupes et
les autres formes qu'elle prend. Enfin, l'auteur étudie l'influence que peuvent exercer des sentiments
comme l'amour et la confiance sur cette surveillance.Arch de Sc soc des Rel. 1995 89 janvier-mars 113-126
Tony WALTER
BEING KNOWN MUTUAL SURVEILLANCE
IN THE HOUSE GROUP
The Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary defines surveillance as vig
ilant supervision spy-like watching superintendence French surveiller to
watch) Unlike much of the contemporary debate about which
assumes it to be an at least potentially nasty intrusion into privacy
this dictionary definition implies the possibility of surveillance being positive
as well as negative life enhancing as well as threatening Nobody likes to
be spied upon but to be supervised can be reassuring and even welcomed
In this article will explore trend in some churches toward voluntary sub
mission to surveillance This is most clearly seen in the practice of
shepherding among some house churches but also characterises house groups
within what might broadly be termed renewed mainline churches
will suggest that one reason for this phenomenon is that the modern
desire for privacy can leave individuals with the problem that nobody knows
me Being in community in which one is known would seem to be one
benefit of belonging to warm and friendly church just as it is of belonging
to family or therapy group with which will make comparison Being
known however involves degree of mutual surveillance which will argue
reinforces other factors tending to make such churches more sect-like will
also discuss whether current concern about secular surveillance has missed
the possibility that surveillance may be desired by the surveyed in order to
be known as much as by the surveyor in order to control and whether the
social-control function of surveillance is affected by the presence of love and
trust
BEING KNOWN MODERN PROBLEM
In village life mutual surveillance goes on all the time through personal
observation and gossip The lack of privacy this entails and its potential for
controlling individuals is not always welcomed by every villager some who
move to the big city find its anonymity refreshing and freeing
113 ARCHIVES DE SCIENCES SOCIALES DES RELIGIONS
The anonymity that brings to urban dwellers freedom from social control
necessitated the development of various forms of non-personal surveillance
Without personal knowledge of customers characters and reputations banks
rely on computerised credit ratings without personal knowledge of customers
preferences advertisers rely on computer held information on the characteris
tics of individuals in order to target mailshots without personal knowledge
of where their clients are at every moment of the day some probation officers
being encouraged to explore the possibilities of electronic tagging Such sur
veillance usually invisible until you are refused loan or until the advertising
brochure arrives personally addressed to you is often resented by the public
presumably because it intrudes into the life of individuals who value privacy
highly 2)
Surveillance by more personal agents of the mass society can also be
resented book Haven in Heartless World 1977 highlighted the
failure of the modern suburban project the goal of creating private haven
from an alienating and impersonal mass society for ourselves and our family
had no sooner been attained than the haven was besieged by an army of social
workers educationalists and baby care books telling us how to run our marri
ages and how to bring up our children Likewise Cohen 1985 has docu
mented how the penal system in attempting both to prevent crime and to
change the behaviour of offenders has co-opted family school and neigh
bourhood Neighbourhood Watch schemes have the potential to transform
neighbourhoods whose inhabitants once hoped they might be havens of com
munity in heartless world into an arm of the all-seeing state while some
correctional programs in the USA require parents to keep diaries on the com
ings and goings of their delinquent children
The threat to privacy posed by such kinds of surveillance is well known
would like to concentrate however on another problem not an immediate
threat to privacy but rather consequence of privacy It too tends to end up
in surveillance but of different kind
The problem is simple The more private become the less am known
by others and not to be known is not to exist The furious yell of the
teenager to its parents or of the claimant to the social security clerk You
really know me You understand my situation reflects very
real loss of identity How then are we to be known
In their classic article Marriage and the Construction of Reality Berger
and Kellner 1964 have argued that the most common way of becoming
known is to get married by which term also refer to co-habitation
is structured way of knowing another and being known Within the modern
nuclear family there are very high levels of mutual surveillance between part
ners and between parents and children and these are in the main wel
comed If modern often fragmented and precarious sense of identity
derives as Berger and Kellner argue from the disparate and disconnected
arenas in which they act out the roles of worker shopper church goer leisure
centre visitor etc. then it can be very comforting to know that there is one
person my partner who has an all round knowledge of me For foibles
and weaknesses to be known and acc