Voluntarism and Coercion
Unidirectional Boundaries of Franciscan Missionaries in Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century California
In: Social Sciences and MissionsSearch for other papers by Jared Bok in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
Research on Franciscan missionaries in California has traditionally either emphasized or excused their use of physical violence on indigenous people. This paper adopts a “boundaries” approach to highlight and explain how Franciscans were able to both advocate for and eschew physical coercion on the same target audience without any perceived contradiction. The paper argues that unidirectional group boundaries, often mundane and unproblematic, may, in some instances, validate a paradoxical combination of external voluntarism and internal coercion when employed institutionally. The study concludes with a discussion of the relevance of these theoretical concepts to religion and coercion in contemporary society.
Résumé
Les recherches sur les missionnaires franciscains en Californie ont traditionnellement soit souligné, soit excusé leur recours à la violence physique sur les populations indigènes. Cet article adopte une approche en termes de “frontières” pour mettre en évidence et expliquer comment les Franciscains ont pu à la fois préconiser et éviter la coercition physique sur le même public cible sans que cela soit perçu comme une contradiction. L’article soutient l’idée que les frontières unidirectionnelles du groupe, souvent banales et non problématiques, peuvent, dans certains cas, faire l’objet d’une combinaison paradoxale de volontarisme externe et de coercition interne, lorsqu’elles sont employées de manière institutionnelle. L’étude se termine par une discussion sur la pertinence de ces concepts théoriques pour la religion et la coercition dans la société contemporaine.
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Voluntarism and Coercion
Unidirectional Boundaries of Franciscan Missionaries in Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century California
In: Social Sciences and MissionsSearch for other papers by Jared Bok in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Research on Franciscan missionaries in California has traditionally either emphasized or excused their use of physical violence on indigenous people. This paper adopts a “boundaries” approach to highlight and explain how Franciscans were able to both advocate for and eschew physical coercion on the same target audience without any perceived contradiction. The paper argues that unidirectional group boundaries, often mundane and unproblematic, may, in some instances, validate a paradoxical combination of external voluntarism and internal coercion when employed institutionally. The study concludes with a discussion of the relevance of these theoretical concepts to religion and coercion in contemporary society.
Résumé
Les recherches sur les missionnaires franciscains en Californie ont traditionnellement soit souligné, soit excusé leur recours à la violence physique sur les populations indigènes. Cet article adopte une approche en termes de “frontières” pour mettre en évidence et expliquer comment les Franciscains ont pu à la fois préconiser et éviter la coercition physique sur le même public cible sans que cela soit perçu comme une contradiction. L’article soutient l’idée que les frontières unidirectionnelles du groupe, souvent banales et non problématiques, peuvent, dans certains cas, faire l’objet d’une combinaison paradoxale de volontarisme externe et de coercition interne, lorsqu’elles sont employées de manière institutionnelle. L’étude se termine par une discussion sur la pertinence de ces concepts théoriques pour la religion et la coercition dans la société contemporaine.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 213 | 105 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 57 | 2 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 87 | 4 | 1 |
