The 42nd Workshop

The 42nd Workshop
August 23, 2023

Theme: "Understanding Others and an Inclusive Society through Parasports"
Lecturer: Shogo Tanaka (Director, Institute of Civilization Research, Tokai University)
Discussant: Junichi Kawai (Paralympian, Swimming)

Lecture (Tanaka)

From a phenomenological standpoint--which seeks to describe as faithfully as possible what individuals actually experience in lived situations and to understand its structure--the lecture examined "parasports," "understanding others," and "an inclusive society."

In relation to phenomenological "understanding of others," two concepts were introduced.
The first is the idea of the "embodied mind." Human beings engage in various mental processes such as thinking, feeling, remembering, and imagining. These processes are realized only when embedded in concrete bodily actions through which the body moves about and interacts with the environment. There is no mental process detached from the lived body.

The second is the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty's theory of "intercorporeality." When we perceive what is happening in another person's body, the action occurring in that body can be reproduced in our own (for example, the contagious spread of yawning in a classroom). This suggests a latent, circular relationship between one's own body and that of another. Merleau-Ponty raised the question of whether the most fundamental process underlying our understanding of another's mind is bodily in nature. He suggested that intercorporeality forms a pathway to understanding others, and that synchronization and attunement with others--through signals beyond language--also make such understanding possible. When synchronization works well, we feel we are "compatible" with the other person; when it does not, we feel communication is difficult, thus forming a unique "in-between" space between self and other.

From these perspectives, the process of understanding others involves dense exchanges that allow bodily, especially nonverbal, interactions to mesh successfully, thereby supporting linguistic understanding. Even experiences of failing to understand others can serve as opportunities to deepen understanding within this "in-between" space.

The relationship between these theories and parasports was then considered. When the presenter first watched parasports through a screen, he felt a sense of frustration in his own body associated with disability. However, as he continued watching, he experienced something akin to the athletes' bodily experiences transferring into his own body. From the perspective of intercorporeality, this can be seen as an experience indirectly conveying another's body and disability. Feeling frustration in relation to another's body can become an important clue for empathically sensing what that disability is like, thus providing a significant starting point for understanding disability. Furthermore, one characteristic of parasports--the presence of competition assistants--can be understood as a process in which a dense "in-between" space develops between assistant and player. Intercorporeality is not only the initial gateway to understanding another's mind; it is also involved in the deepening of their circular relationship and in generating the "in-between" through which the two come to coexist.

To substantiate "coexistence" in society, it is important to create living environments in which people can perceive and empathize with one another's bodies so that intercorporeality can function effectively. Developing environments based on universal design must be considered even prior to building parasports facilities. In addition to top-down measures, it is also necessary to establish social systems that can draw upon and support locally constructed spaces of coexistence from the bottom up.

From the Discussion

Kawai:
In relation to the ideas of the "in-between" and "ma" (space/interval), there are two slides he always includes at the end of his lectures. One features the composer Gustav Mahler's phrase: "The important thing is what lies between the notes." The other features the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's phrase: "What is essential is invisible to the eye." He felt that the lecture raised the question of whether society could function if people were to lose the will to understand intangible elements such as trust or shared wavelength. Regarding understanding others, he noted a distinction between understanding disability in terms of an individual (the individual model) and understanding "disability" in terms of the social model.

As the integration of the Olympic and Paralympic movements advances, there are increasing cases in which coaches long involved in Olympic sports take on roles in Paralympic coaching. However, some voices point out that understanding of disability is not always sufficient. To further promote inclusion and coexistence, adopting a neutral way of thinking may be one key point.

Tanaka:
Phenomenology offers two ways of understanding the body. One views the body at a physical level, detached from the living environment. The other conceives of the "lived body," meaning a body that moves together with the person's lived experience. When "lived bodies" enter into an organic relationship of coexistence, the possibility expands for understanding the other at levels previously unattainable.

While it is important to classify and understand disability medically, doing so may distance us from the "lived body" and risk failing to create local spaces of coexistence. Although the overall social climate can influence human intercorporeality in a top-down manner, transforming the social atmosphere through institutional arrangements is also crucial for enabling intercorporeality to function effectively. It is therefore necessary to identify points of coordination between those who know the realities on the ground and those capable of formulating policy.