Foucault Flashcards
Foucault
power can be identified better by what it does than what it is
Like Weber, focuses on the powers that promote social relations
but differs as Foucalt focuses on what power is and not what it does
Foucault and Marx
very influenced by Marx, but sees economy as too limited
race, gender and sex deal with power
power is always forcing us to act in certain ways
Foucault and Durkheim
Durkheim influenced Foucault
they both focused on the social as automous and shaping us
Foucault took a more critical view
Foucault and Sexuality
He suffered greatly because of his sexuality
saw rules and institutions as removing our freedom, a hidden and horrible form of power
Genelogy
Foucault looks at the transformations of power over the longue durée
Foucault and power
saw power as overt and coercive
people knew power was exerted over them
science and bureaucracy become hidden bases of enormous power
both force people to conform to what authorities says in proper
Disciplines
social institutions that endow individuals with capacities (schools, prisons)
Effect: controls individuals and causes them to act and perfume the world in certain disciplined ways
Panopticon society
numerous disciplinary instituons
remove our agency, force us to be disciplined without overt coercion
Knowledge and Power
Foucault’s work recognizes that systems of knowledge production are bases of power
discourses surrounding the system of knowledge production control us, shape our behaviour
Epistems, knowledge and power
Epistem: organizing structure of knowledge and how it is applied
knowledge is invisible and controls us
experts are able to present knowledge in ways that benefit some but hurt others
Biopolitics and Modernity
Foucault paid attention to the biopolitics of population life
it is the biological way of looking out for the well-being of populations (societies)
Durkheim liked it, Foucault did not as it removes individual freedom (health + politics)
