The 'considerate' smoker in public space: the micro-politics and politicaleconomy of 'doing the right thing'

This paper examines the discourse of 'interactions' as applied to the inter personal management of smoking in public places (and to accounts thereof). Empirical data from a qualitative study of smokers and non-smokers in metro politan Toronto, Ontario (Canada) are used to illustrate how smokers and no n-smokers define and claim to operationalize 'consideration' in their daily lives. Drawing on the work of Foucault, Rose, Castel, and Bourdieu, the pa per explores the possible significance of 'consideration' as a discourse of risk management masked as 'common sense', as a marker of social competence . In particular, parallels with emergent forms of governmentality embedded in community participation and individual self-monitoring and self-restrain t are noted. Further, the social control implications of 'consideration' as moral discourse are examined with respect to Bourdieu's analysis of class struggles for (social) distinction. In this light, it is suggested that leg itimate health concerns raised by tobacco control advocates cannot be divor ced from other implicit social agendas which also fuel the drive for the 'p urification of public space'. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.