Design against symbolic violence
8.01.2019
"It is through processes of symbolic violence that power imbalances are naturalised (…). It is because oppressive ideologies are so deeply embedded within policy, custom, language, taste and emotions that issues like sexism, racism and colonialism are so difficult to eradicate".
In the first chapter of Design, Ecology, Politics: Towards the Ecocene, its author, Joanna Boehnert, explains the practice of Symbolic Violence following Pierre Bourdieu, who first coined this term in the book Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste in 1979. According to BoehnertSymbolic Violence is the result of systems of representation that normalise the hierarchical devaluation of certain people. (...) it works beneath the level of ideology and becomes a totality of learned habits and sensibilities.’ whereas „Bourdieu describes it as: ‘a gentle violence, imperceptible and invincible even to its victims, exerted for the most part through the purely symbolic channels of communication and cognition (or more precisely, miscognition), recognition, or even feeling (2001, 2).”
Boehnert states that the theory of Symbolic Violence is significant for design and believes that design can help to expose and transform harmful behaviours. To support this theory, I would like to place one of my projects in the context of this statement.
While working on my BFA in Design degree project, I asked a group of people of all ages to participate in questionnaires to explore whether or not oppressive practices and beliefs are still present in modern society (Polish society, to be specific). Participants were asked to answer which gender they assign given feature (ex., experienced, aggressive, fragile, soft). Not only could they choose between a woman and a man, but they were also given the possibility to write any other answer. Yet, in more than 90% cases, the binary divisions dominated.
The results I gained led me to a conclusion which was the starting point of my project: "items of everyday use, materials, actions, personality traits and physical appearance are somewhat automatically divided and even involuntarily assigned to one gender rather than the other. We seem to assume that being reserved is a male quality while warmth is a female one”.
After summing up all the answers, I began to translate these features into tactile objects using different materials (including metal, glass, stone and textiles) which could symbolise them. I created a set of interactive elements designed to raise questions about defining the image of femininity and masculinity in Polish society and culture.
Using the set of elements is simple and consists of three steps. Firstly, the person interacting with the project builds a totem of the features they would like to assign to ‘a typical woman’, then the same for a totem symbolising 'a typical man'. The final step of using the set is to build the user’s own image. This step requires applying the totem features previously assigned to a woman or a man.
In the first chapter of Design, Ecology, Politics: Towards the Ecocene, its author, Joanna Boehnert, explains the practice of Symbolic Violence following Pierre Bourdieu, who first coined this term in the book Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste in 1979. According to BoehnertSymbolic Violence is the result of systems of representation that normalise the hierarchical devaluation of certain people. (...) it works beneath the level of ideology and becomes a totality of learned habits and sensibilities.’ whereas „Bourdieu describes it as: ‘a gentle violence, imperceptible and invincible even to its victims, exerted for the most part through the purely symbolic channels of communication and cognition (or more precisely, miscognition), recognition, or even feeling (2001, 2).”
Boehnert states that the theory of Symbolic Violence is significant for design and believes that design can help to expose and transform harmful behaviours. To support this theory, I would like to place one of my projects in the context of this statement.
While working on my BFA in Design degree project, I asked a group of people of all ages to participate in questionnaires to explore whether or not oppressive practices and beliefs are still present in modern society (Polish society, to be specific). Participants were asked to answer which gender they assign given feature (ex., experienced, aggressive, fragile, soft). Not only could they choose between a woman and a man, but they were also given the possibility to write any other answer. Yet, in more than 90% cases, the binary divisions dominated.
The results I gained led me to a conclusion which was the starting point of my project: "items of everyday use, materials, actions, personality traits and physical appearance are somewhat automatically divided and even involuntarily assigned to one gender rather than the other. We seem to assume that being reserved is a male quality while warmth is a female one”.
After summing up all the answers, I began to translate these features into tactile objects using different materials (including metal, glass, stone and textiles) which could symbolise them. I created a set of interactive elements designed to raise questions about defining the image of femininity and masculinity in Polish society and culture.
Using the set of elements is simple and consists of three steps. Firstly, the person interacting with the project builds a totem of the features they would like to assign to ‘a typical woman’, then the same for a totem symbolising 'a typical man'. The final step of using the set is to build the user’s own image. This step requires applying the totem features previously assigned to a woman or a man.
The last part of interacting with the object is the most important. It proves how much people are limited by socialisation – none of us carries features which are either one hundred per cent feminine or masculine. Using CROSSxTOYS with typically masculine or feminine features, we create an image of ourselves – this action helps us to learn that the gender binary division should be questioned. The divisions, stereotypes and norms imposed on us by society and culture can be rather limiting and harmful. This project was made in Krakow in 2018 and presented to the public the same year. Even though discussions around gender stereotypes are nothing new in Sweden (where I am lucky enough to be writing this text now), they are still a controversial and oftentimes censored subject in Poland.
Symbolic Violence does not have to be visible. It appears in many social behaviours, beliefs and norms passed through generations and supports patriarchal hierarchy. To fight and resist Symbolic Violence, we need more tools that would educate on how to raise critical questions and resist oppressive practices.
„While there is no easy solution, it is possible to intervene and transform practices, institutions and system structures that legitimise and reproduce domination in its various forms”.
Even if there are no easy solutions, design can surely become a tool for asking questions and finding answers. Within these answers, there is a hope for systemic and behavioural change.
Symbolic Violence does not have to be visible. It appears in many social behaviours, beliefs and norms passed through generations and supports patriarchal hierarchy. To fight and resist Symbolic Violence, we need more tools that would educate on how to raise critical questions and resist oppressive practices.
„While there is no easy solution, it is possible to intervene and transform practices, institutions and system structures that legitimise and reproduce domination in its various forms”.
Even if there are no easy solutions, design can surely become a tool for asking questions and finding answers. Within these answers, there is a hope for systemic and behavioural change.
Boehnert, Joanna. Design, Ecology, Politics: Towards the Ecocene, p. 28–31, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2018.