Power and adult/non-adult sexual relations

[Roy W Wilson <rwwst6+@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

	After a quick look at the article I referred to in
connection with the earlier discussion concerning adult/nonadult sexual
relations as commented on by Tom Ollerich, it seems to me that others in
addition to those actually requesting my synopsis might find it useful.

	I will provide a subset of his introduction and first section to

Burbules, N.C. (1986). A theory of power in education. EDUCATIONAL THEORY,
36(2), 95-114.

I have inserted a few comments in brackets and make a brief comment in
connect with the adult/non-adult sexual relations afterwards.

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>From the introduction to the paper:

When we propose to define social concepts, we are engaged in a
normative activity because we select and emphasize certain aspects of the
social environment over others and because we make this choice in terms of
certain purposes, values, and interests that are rarely made explicit.
We can attempt to justify social concepts in terms of their explanatory or
predictive value or in terms of their position within a larger theory, but
such justifications must refer to criteria of usefulness which, in the
social domain at least, depend on political or ethical judgments. Certain
controversial concepts - for example, "family," "rape," or class - wear
their partisanship closer to the surface. "Power" is certainly one of
these. [Hence, the possible utility of this article in connection with
sexual relations between adults/non-adults and issues of cultural
relativity?]

... I will argue, in brief, that power and power struggles are the
consequences of underlying conflicts between human interests; that these
conflicts are inevitable given the hierarchical nature of our social
system; that power is latent in structures of ideology [such as a belief
in the need for corporal punishment], authority [such
as in parent-child relations], and organization; and that the resolution
to the problem lies neither in simply exercising power nor in "getting
it", but in transforming the underlying conflicts of interest that give
rise to it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
>From the first section, which surveys traditional views of power. THe
survey gets fairly complex, but might be worth reading in order to sort
things out in a systematic way.

... As I will argue later, a theory of power does require a way of
identifying where personal interests reside; I will claim that one cannot
analyze a particular instance apart from a larger context of relations
among the persons concerned and the interests which they do or do not
share. Where there is no conflict of interests (say, concerning this
child's safety [where the child is seeking to run into the street]) the
command does not constitute an exercise of power; however, a conflict of
interests might arise under different circumstances, if the parent's
authority is served but the child's autonomy is not. IT must be said that
different observers will judge conflicts or interests differently, so that
some will identify situations as involving power, while others disagree.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
My comment: 

In the case of non-adult to adult sexual relations, it seems to me that
(Foucault to the contrary) it is better to err (if at all) by assuming
that there is a conflict of interest between the adult and the child.
Unless we want to jettison the "human sciences" as unnecessary baggage
from the Enlightenment, these sciences provide us good reasons to
believe that adult-child sexual relations are indeed exploitative,
regardless of contemporary or retrospective statements by non-adults
to the contrary. 

Less universalistic, more case-based reasoning might be better, more
attuned to individual and cultural difference, but we still have the
question of interests. It seems to me that the burden of proof of
no-conflict ought to rest with anyone who wants to open up the possibility
of "consensual" adult/non-adult sexual relations. It then becomes
necessary for them to take into account the concept of developmental
differences and provide a positive criteria for determining when such
boundary crossings/violations ought to be permitted/tolerated.

Roy Wilson, Fellow
University of Pittsburgh
School of Education
Department of Administrative and Policy Studies
rwwst6@pitt.edu (Email address)