Michel Foucault; The history of sexuality

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Flashcards on Michel Foucault; The history of sexuality, created by Amna AlNasser on 18/05/2016.
Amna AlNasser
Flashcards by Amna AlNasser, updated more than 1 year ago
Amna AlNasser
Created by Amna AlNasser almost 8 years ago
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Context of The history of sexuality - M Foucoult was a french phillopsher who adresses the relationship between power and knowledge; this relationship allows him to understand the socitial control that occurs through social instotutions -the history of sexuality displays his increasing involvment with struclralism, and emphasis the role that power plays in the evolution of discourse in scoiety - In his work, F explores the "repressive hypothesis" which is centered around the concept of power; it rejects the maxist theory of power. - The history of sexuality is based on the approach of "archeology of knowledge"; this appraoch dismisses the importance of inidvidual thinkers, and focuses only on mind-set characteristics of the history of sexuality - He compliments the aregological approach with the use of a genealogical approach that is borrowed from Nietzsche; this approach centres around the concept of good and bad as Nietzsche pointed out- these concepts are not fixed and changed over time = so Foucault makes the same remark in terms of sexuality - it is not fixed and will change overtime.
Power and sex relationship - Foucoult asks the question "how is it that we have come to see sex as a way of explaining us?" - The answer has to do with the relationship between sex and both power and knowledge - Fouclout disagrees with judicial ideas of power i.e that restrictions and laws are a form of power - instead he suggests that power is everywhere and everything, so sexuality or sex is not something repressed by power, but in fact a power of its own.
How does Foucault explain sexuality as a power in society - Focuoult idenifies 4 main focus points of sexualotuy 1) the sexuality of children 2) the sexuality of women 3) the sexuality of married couples 4) the sexual preserve = these factors are what allows power to spread itself onto the family and onto society - this development is closely linked to the rise of the bourgeoisie who placed control on sex as a way to ensure their health and longevity. - power is primarily exercised in the interest of preserving life; so the tight normalizing controls on our bodies and the regulations on sex is in our best interest for healthy sexuality = so when we think of sexuality as our "power over life", it os just in fact a social construct that makes us easier for the bourgeoisie to control
Section 1: The history of sexuality -
Section 5; The right if death and the power of life -
Biopower -
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