Michael and the continuity of existence: experiment in a reflexive group

Abstract

This article aims to identify and analyze “voluments” triggered by Michael, a man accused of violence against women, in a reflexive group in Campo Grande (MS). The concept of “volument” was developed by Albert Piette (2019) to observe elements of a human being, or “human volume”, such as styles, corporeality, language, gestures, and subjectivities, among others. In this way, my argument is that the “human volume” we will observe triggers voluments in the reflexive group to stabilize the continuity of his being’s existence and face judicial impositions forcing him to be there. As to the method of the research, I chose to analyze a single person to descend to the smallest, molecular, level of the experiential sphere of violence. In this way, the numbers that place Mato Grosso do Sul among the states with the highest rates of domestic violence come to life. My method is volumography, the method that allows us to observe a single person in its details. As a way of evoking my experience with Michael, I combine writing with drawing. Since no one is allowed to take notes during group meetings, I wrote and drew later as a way to evoke memories and situations.