Subject subjected - Sexualised coercion, agency and the reorganisation and reformulation of life strategies

Abstract

When not acting in ways that are recognised as physicalself-defence, women are often – in psychology and inother dominant discourses – generalised as inherentlypassive during subjection to sexualised coercion (rapeand attempted rape). Likewise, in the aftermaths, their(in)actions are frequently pathologised as ‘maladaptivecoping strategies’.We present theoretically and empirically based argumentsfor an agency-oriented approach to women’sperspectives on sexualised coercion. Agency is understoodas intentional, situated and strategic. Sexualisedcoercion is not generalised as a single “traumatic”event, but conceptualised as life events. Meanings ofcoercion are embedded in social activities connectedto discourses on ‘rape’ and ‘trauma’. Thus personalmeanings of subjection are understood as developed inand through participation in trajectories across diversecontexts.Adopted in our study, this approach points to thegreat diversity of personal meanings of sexualised coercion.Moreover, it reveals intimate connections betweensituated, personal and dominant discursive meanings ofcoercion, and women’s strategies of (in)actions duringand in the aftermaths of the events.Our analysis of participants’ perspectives also indicatesan imperative need for reinterpreting conceptssuch as ‘victim’ and ‘passivity’. In a reinterpretationwomen, although subjected to sexualised coercion,emerge as subjects both during subjection and in theaftermaths. Furthermore their seemingly pathologicalbehaviour may be re-conceptualised as personally sense-making strategies of action in reflected attemptsat (re)formulating and (re)organising their lifestrategies.