Being Known : Mutual Surveillance in the House Group / Etre connu : Surveillance mutuelle dans la « maisonnée » religieuse

In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions: ASSR, Band 89, Heft 1, S. 113-126

Abstract

The modem desire for privacy entails a cost - the danger of not being known, and therefore of a fragile personal identity. In this context, churches organised around the caring house group (of which there are a steadily increasing number) can be attractive, and the mutual surveillance that this entails welcomed. The dynamics of such churches are explored: there is a tendency to strengthen the boundary between the church and the community outside but to weaken the boundary between church and family; the emphasis on 'sharing' and on 'feelings' tends to divide those who trust enough to share, from those who do not - a process reinforced by the circular architecture associated with these groups; surveillance in these groups is compared with other forms of surveillance. Finally, the question of the extent to which love and trust transform surveillance is discussed.