IN RESPONSE TO "BEYOND AN EYE FOR AN EYE: IDENTITY, RELATEDNESS AND DIGITISATION DURING THE PANDEMIC" BY LESLIE BRISSETT
SHELY SUSMAN
In his paper "Beyond an Eye for an Eye: Identity, Relatedness and Digitisation during the Pandemic", Leslie Brissett uses the terms "people in black bodies", "people in white bodies". His paper encompasses so much more, but somehow this phrasing stuck with me, perhaps because I spend so much time these days in "body-less" spaces, i.e. Zoom.
I find this idea of "a person in a body" intriguing and worth additional consideration. What does this concept enable?
The separation, or split as we might call it, between person and body can be thought of in various ways, on a continuum between mind/body dualism up to embodiment, meaning the constitutive relationship of the lived body and the social and psychological aspects of human individuality. I will share a few thoughts, hoping to deal with this issue with due sensitivity.
1.
Leslie writes: "In terms of “relatedness”, my black body appearing in this white neighbourhood represented a disturbance to the natural order of things".
A quick google search brought up the meaning of a "black body" in physics –
"blackbody" or "black body" in physics, is a surface that absorbs all radiant energy falling on it. The concept of such a perfect absorber of energy is extremely useful in the study of radiation phenomena. https://www.britannica.com
This idea of the role of the black body and its function in the natural order of things as a "perfect absorber of radiation energy" echoes psychoanalytic -systemic thinking of the social function of projection as a way to deal with unwanted toxic substances.
But, the consequences to the "person in a black body" as a repository, absorbing such radiation, are severe, mainly due to the objectification and estrangement of the most intimate of containers – the body. As Fanon describes this: "In the white world the man of color encounters difficulties in the development of his bodily schema. Consciousness of the body is solely a negating activity. It is a third-person consciousness" (Fanon, 1986, p. 110)
2.
Leslie's choice of the concept of "person" also deserves attention.
Other areas that deal with the complex relation of person and body are that of gender and disability. The choice in these fields of the broader construct of "person" is explained as a rejection of the psychological discourse of the “self” which tends to be dominated by pathologies. Besides helping to neutralize the psychological load inherent in “self”, the more expansive formulation of “person” promotes seeing individuals through their relationships, and through the array of forces and social structures that affect their lives (Agmon, Sa'ar & Araten-Bergman, 2016).
On a personal note, in daily life, at a shop or on the street, I am many times referred to with Hebrew male syntax, though I identify as a woman. I find these moments very playful in a subversive kind of way, especially the look of bewilderment on the face of the other, at not being sure about "what body is this person in?"
To conclude – the idea that we can all be "a-person-in-a-body" is uplifting. It points to our shared humanity, enabling a distancing of the material differences and the lack of "body-ness" in online spaces, and a critical perspective of the social dynamics and cultural linguistic constructs involved.
Agmon, M., Sa’ar, A. & Araten-Bergman, T. (2016). The person in the disabled body: a perspective on culture and personhood from the margins. Int J Equity Health 15, 147.
Fanon, F. (1986 [1952]). Black Skin, White Masks. London: Pluto Press.