[Marsha]
Is this about an autonomous individual?
[Arlo]
No. In this paragraph the author is stating the extremes, or poles,
of "structure" (determinism?) and "agency" (free will?). There have
been other terms for these, but within structuration theories (such
as Giddens, Archer, Parker and Bourdieu), these are recast not as
antagonist forces, but mutually enabling and mutually supportive.
Agency is always enacted within structure, and structure is always
influenced by agency. Greater structure brings greater agency,
simplistically, rather than being inversely related. The incredibly
rapidity of world travel, and the ensuing "freedom" to move around
the globe, rests on a very complex structure of mechanics,
navigation, flight theory, schedules, airports, etc etc etc. If you
remove the structure, the agency of the individual to move around is
severely diminished. Moreso, Boudieu also considers the same duality
regarding "words" which Mark seems to suggest is a form of
imprisonment. Assimilating language provides us with far greater
capacity to act than a feral human would have, albeit it at the same
time (like roadways) channeling our thoughts in certain ways.
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