The Puzzle of Responsibility under Oppressive Threat

Does the issue of responsibility arise in cases of “oppressive coercion”, where the coercive threat builds on an oppressive normative practice or social schema? In contrast to widespread views, I argue (i) that oppression is not an exculpatory condition for the coercer, (ii) that the victim of conditional threat retains the normative power to refuse the coercer’s deal, and (iii) that precisely this power raises the puzzle of distributed moral responsibility. I propose a dynamic model of institutional agency, in which moral responsibility for oppressive coercion is rationally negotiated and distributed across individuals and institutional agencies. I argue that this approach vindicates the normative act of claiming responsibility for action as a key mode of self-affirmation and resistance.