The hunger strike as a communicative act: Intention without responsibility

Abstract

Judgments of actor responsibility usually depend on attributions of actor intentions. In some circumstances, though, actor intention or even both intention and responsibility may be considered irrelevant. This raises the question of whether it is possible for an intentional actor to not be held responsible for the consequences of his or her act. This article claims that the hunger strike represents just such a possibility, mainly because (i) the actor is presented as having no choice, (ii) the stance of commentators (especially the media) is influential in shaping attributions of intentionality, and (iii) a significant time interval exists between the initiation of the strike and its effects. © 2007 by the American Anthropological Association.