Foucault - Power/Knowledge - 2372 Words

Foucault’s theorisation of the power/knowledge relationship Foucault in theorizing the relationship between power and knowledge basically focused on how power operated in the institutions and in its techniques. The point is how power was supported by knowledge in the functioning of institutions of punishment. â€Å"He places the body at the centre of the struggles between different formations of power/knowledge. The techniques of regulation are applied to the body† (Wheterell et al., 2001: 78) Power is the ability to control others or one’s entity. Accordingly it can be defined as a kind of strength or as an authority. There are various theorisations about the meaning of this term in sociology thus it would be hard to give a comprehensive†¦show more content†¦When plague turned up the old system followed the then methods of observation and surveillance, plague was everywhere thus the supporting power must have been mobilized. In this case â€Å"power is mobilized; it makes itself everywhere present and visible; it invents new mechanism; it separates; it immobilizes† etc. to make people act as it was expected in these conditions (because of the plague almost every interactions must have been stopped in the interest of getting rid of the disease). (Foucault, 1975) The Panopticon instead of exercising power from several sides emphasises the importance and perfection of the surveillance focus from one place. The Panopticon is a building which has an annual part in the periphery and a tower in the centre. Next to omitting little details its most important feature is the ability to see into every cells without being visible. â€Å"The panoptic mechanism arranges spatial unities that make it possible to see constantly and to recognize immediately.† (Calhoun et al., 2007: 209) The consciousness of being watched make people put on their best behaviour, their best way of acting thus the inmates do not commit any further crimes as it usually occurs that could happen without being watched. The operation of this building gives theShow MoreRelatedFoucault s Theory Of Individual Power And Knowledge1596 Words   |  7 PagesTheory of Individual Power and Knowledge have allowed one to see the other side of arguments with more posing questions. Domestic Violence is now resulting in a spouse being labeled with the brand of â€Å"battered woman’s syndrome† and it opens the door for a many unanswered questions, and is debatable at best. In the case of Francine Hughes Wilson, â€Å"The Burning Bed† shed new light on the ever growing problems within a domestic abusive relationship and gave way to social change, knowledge and empowermentRead MoreA Few Ways That Foucault s Conceptualization Of Bio Power And Of Disciplinary Knowledge And Practices976 Words   |  4 PagesThere are a few ways that Foucault’s conceptualization of bio-power and of disciplinary knowledge and practices may be evident in college settings. One example of bio-power in a colle ge setting might be birth control and sex education at my university. Another example of bio-power in our colleges is a requirement of a health credit, such as basic health or physical education, in order to graduate. Like bio-power, disciplinary knowledge and practices are used in our university and other community collegesRead MoreThe Philosophical Methodology of Geneaology1395 Words   |  6 Pagesevents. Fueled by Nietzsche’s sense of deconstruction, Foucault also sought to deconstruct all metaphysical ideas and disregard the belief of perpetual truths. His idea of genealogy operates under the assumption that the facts are to be interpreted as opposed to accepted, for facts can be created by the will to truth, or the need for truth at any price. This concept originally belonged to Nietzsche, borrowed and expanded on by Foucault. Foucault provides greater insight to genealogy thanks to the workRead MoreBird’s Eye- view of Foucauldian Perspective to Commercial Hiera rchies and Confrontation1510 Words   |  6 PagesMichel Foucault was a French philosopher or a historian of systems of thought. His theories addressed the relationship between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social control through societal institutions. Through his impressive career Foucault became known for his many demonstrative arguments that power depends not on material relations or authority but instead primarily on discursive networks. The sole purpose of the present research paper is to evaluate the power relationsRead MoreRelationship Between Sex And Power955 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian, social theorist, philologist and literary critic whose work had a tremendous impact on several disciplines. He was not a sociologist by training, but he worked diligently on sociological issues and otherwise had significant influence on the work of other sociologists. One of his most famous works is the The History of Sexuality, in which he examines the emergence of sexuality as a discursive object and separate sphere of lifeRead More The Introduction to the History of Sexuality by Foucault Essay1118 Words   |  5 PagesSexuality, Foucault explains how during the 19th century with the raise of new societies, the discourse or knowledge about sex was not confronted with repulsion but it â€Å"put into operation an entire machinery for producing true discourses concerning sex† (Foucault 69). In fact, this spreading of discourse on sexuality itself gives a clear account of how sexuality has been controlled and confined bec ause it was determined in a certain kind of knowledge that carries power within it. Foucault reflectsRead MoreGramscis And Foucaults Notions of Power1471 Words   |  6 PagesPower is a concept that is at the core of issues regarding social stratification (Scott Marshall, 2009). Therefore there have been many debates regarding what this concept of power actually means. For Gramsci, power needs to be considered legitimate by those who are subject to it, and the legitimacy of power is gained through the manipulation of social norms (Scott Marshall, 2009). This manipulation of social norms, links to Gramsci’s notion of ideological hegemony. Gramsci uses hegemony to showRead MoreSocial Order (Foucault and Goffman)1463 Words   |  6 Pagesas among various individuals. In any society, people must acquire knowledge of how to relate to one another and their environment. Order is then established by a normalisation and standardisation of this knowledge. This essay will examine tw o views on social order, applied to social sciences, and embodied in everyday life. It will compare and contrast a Canadian sociologist, Erving Goffman, and a French philosopher, Michel Foucault. Through an analysis of these two figures, the text will present differentRead More Panopticism Essay753 Words   |  4 PagesIn his essay â€Å"Panopticism,† Michel Foucault introduces the Panopticon structure as proof of modern society tending toward efficient disciplinary mechanisms. Starting with his example of the strict, intensely organized measures that are taken in a typical 17th-century plague-stricken town, Foucault describes how the town employed constant surveillance techniques, centralized a hierarchy of authorities to survey households, partitioned individual structures to impose certain behavior, and record currentRead MoreThe Theory Of Knowledge And Power1131 Words   |  5 PagesPost-Foucauldian theory of knowledge and power, knowledge has been used as a synonym fo r power. In 21st century they are considered as two sides of the same coin. Power gives an individual the ability to make others obey in a social relationship irrespective of the basis. As per Foucault power is not only brutal physical force rather an invisible form of network that operates. At times, the operator has no knowledge of this invisible power which controls others. Similarly, knowledge is defined as a belief