Gazing as a Weapon: Eyes That Wound
I first encountered the concept of gazing during my time in the United States. Gazing is not simply the act of looking at another person. In human relationships, it can function as a powerful social mechanism that determines who is perceived as belonging and who is marked as different. It can signal inclusion or exclusion, recognition or marginalization. Its effects may be so penetrating that they become embedded in our bodies, emotions, and sense of self. In this sense, gazing can sometimes feel more forceful than a bullet. It becomes a form of surveillance and social control.
0
0
By Girma Berhanu (Professor)
This reflection was prompted by a question from a 14–15-year-old girl who attends the homework support program (läxhjälp) at our university. Wearing a hijab and displaying both curiosity and ambition, she asked me a simple yet profound question: Why do people look at me?
My initial thought was that part of the reason might simply be her age. It is unusual to see someone so young in a university environment. Yet I was also aware of the broader social and cultural complexities that may have shaped her experience. These are not easy issues to explain to a young person who is eager to learn, full of aspirations, and still developing her understanding of the world around her.
I first encountered the concept of gazing during my time in the United States. Gazing is not simply the act of looking at another person. In human relationships, it can function as a powerful social mechanism that determines who is perceived as belonging and who is marked as different. It can signal inclusion or exclusion, recognition or marginalization. Its effects may be so penetrating that they become embedded in our bodies, emotions, and sense of self. In this sense, gazing can sometimes feel more forceful than a bullet. It becomes a form of surveillance and social control.
A master’s student of mine who wears a hijab shared her experiences of moving through streets and public transportation. She described how the gazes directed at her often left her feeling uneasy, unsettled, disgusted, and unwelcome. Only a few years ago, she dressed in what many would regard as ordinary Swedish clothing. She looked, in her own words, like any other Swedish woman: white, blonde, and confident. Yet changing her style of dress brought with it a daily experience of scrutiny and, at times, humiliation through the gaze of others.
A colleague and I are planning to study this phenomenon further. My colleague often wears clothing that challenges conventional gender expectations. He is very tall, while I am short and Black. Simply walking together, sharing meals, and moving through public spaces has taught us a great deal about how people react to difference. The responses are not always openly hostile, but they often reveal subtle forms of social regulation, categorization, and screening.
Over the years, I have spoken with many people about this powerful social mechanism. Disabled people, older adults, people experiencing frailty, individuals experiencing homelessness, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, religious minorities, and many other groups perceived as “different” often describe being subjected to gazes that categorize, regulate, and discipline them.
I plan to write more about this research in the future. For now, I would like to ask a few questions:
• How often do you find yourself gazing at marginalized groups in our society?
• How often do you gaze at people with cognitive, physical, or social disabilities?
• How often do you notice and react to a Jewish kippah, a Muslim hijab, other religious symbols, or visible markers of subcultures?
• And when you gaze, what assumptions are you making? What boundaries are you reinforcing? What forms of belonging or exclusion are you helping to create?
After reviewing an earlier draft of this piece, a former colleague who is a professor of special education offered an important reflection. He questioned how we distinguish between consciously categorizing people and the natural human tendency to notice what differs from what we expect. Is it the gaze itself that creates a sense of exclusion, or is it the attitudes and actions that sometimes follow? How can we investigate this phenomenon without assuming that every attentive glance is negative? Perhaps, he suggested, such a glance may simply be an expression of curiosity—or even an opening for dialogue.
His response prompted further reflection. It challenged the assumption that being noticed is necessarily a form of othering and raised the possibility that attention may stem from curiosity rather than prejudice. The distinction is subtle but important. While some gazes undoubtedly communicate exclusion, suspicion, or disapproval, others may reflect interest, uncertainty, or a desire to understand. Understanding where these meanings diverge may be one of the central challenges in studying gazing as a social phenomenon.
This is particularly important when considering how young people interpret the reactions of others. The question is not merely why people look, but how those looks are experienced, understood, and internalized by those who receive them.
GIRMA BERHANU
Professor
GOTHENBURG UNIVERSITY
Department of Education and Special Education
