Acts of Resistance 
Fighting Back
Johannes Kieding
Simmons School for Social Work
Fighting Back
Violence and systems of oppression, small and large, pervade human existence. The forms that these systems of violence and oppression take varies -- macro systems that oppress and marginalize the have-nots in favor of the ‘haves,’ micro systems, such as family units that oppress and scapegoat individual members – are two examples that come to mind. Allan Wade, in “Small acts of living: Everyday resistance to violence and other forms of oppression” (Wade, 1997) makes the case that an often overlooked phenomenon in the clinical encounter is the various ways that the client has fought back and resisted his or her aggressors, and the importance of high-lighting this act of resistance, no matter how small or subtle, as healthy. Through sound reasoning and clinical case vignettes, Wade succeeds in demonstrating how small acts of living can be acts of resistance against violence and oppression, and he leaves little doubt that helping clients understand their behavior in this light goes a long way in both cementing the therapeutic alliance and in mobilizing therapeutic gains.
What are these “small acts of living” that Wade refer to as acts of healthy resistance? Wade defines these small acts of living, of resistance, as:
Any mental or behavioural [sic] act through which a person attempts to expose, withstand, repel, stop, prevent, abstain from, strive against, impede, refuse to comply with, or oppose any form of violence or oppression (including any type of disrespect), or the conditions that make such acts possible (Wade, 1997, p. 25).
Wade continues to flesh out this definition, including referencing an Ethiopian proverb that mentions a peasant bowing down to royalty but silently farting at the same time (Wade, 1997, p. 29). The small acts of living -- of resistance -- whether they consist of defiant farts or rebellious acts of sticking out ones tongue towards a sexual abuser – are
Johannes Kieding
Simmons School for Social Work
Fighting Back
Violence and systems of oppression, small and large, pervade human existence. The forms that these systems of violence and oppression take varies -- macro systems that oppress and marginalize the have-nots in favor of the ‘haves,’ micro systems, such as family units that oppress and scapegoat individual members – are two examples that come to mind. Allan Wade, in “Small acts of living: Everyday resistance to violence and other forms of oppression” (Wade, 1997) makes the case that an often overlooked phenomenon in the clinical encounter is the various ways that the client has fought back and resisted his or her aggressors, and the importance of high-lighting this act of resistance, no matter how small or subtle, as healthy. Through sound reasoning and clinical case vignettes, Wade succeeds in demonstrating how small acts of living can be acts of resistance against violence and oppression, and he leaves little doubt that helping clients understand their behavior in this light goes a long way in both cementing the therapeutic alliance and in mobilizing therapeutic gains.
What are these “small acts of living” that Wade refer to as acts of healthy resistance? Wade defines these small acts of living, of resistance, as:
Any mental or behavioural [sic] act through which a person attempts to expose, withstand, repel, stop, prevent, abstain from, strive against, impede, refuse to comply with, or oppose any form of violence or oppression (including any type of disrespect), or the conditions that make such acts possible (Wade, 1997, p. 25).
Wade continues to flesh out this definition, including referencing an Ethiopian proverb that mentions a peasant bowing down to royalty but silently farting at the same time (Wade, 1997, p. 29). The small acts of living -- of resistance -- whether they consist of defiant farts or rebellious acts of sticking out ones tongue towards a sexual abuser – are
References: Wade, A. (1997). Small acts of living: Everyday resistance to violence and other forms of oppression. Contemporary Family Therapy, 19, 23-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1026154215299