Power & Freedom Michel Foucault The Body of the Condemned (Political Science 506)

Michel Foucault Social theorist & critic “Critical history” of modernity Postmodernism & poststructuralism Left-wing politics Madness & Civilization Discipline & Punish The History of Sexuality First major figure in France to die of complications from HIV/AIDS 2

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Discipline Causing people to behave in particular ways – Can be via punishment, the threat of punishment, surveillance, or reward Old types of discipline rooted in spectacle, personal power Foucault argues that modern discipline is based in surveillance, and takes place in private – Power omnipresent, and need never be exercised – Prisons, schools, hospitals, militaries, factories are interacting institutions that rely on identical forms of discipline, creating individuals who act in cooperation for maximal economic productivity Modern punishment disciplines individuals by working on their souls – Not preventing particular bad acts, but creating a desired kind of person 4

Working on the Soul “[The accused] are also judged by the interplay of all those notions that have circulated between medicine and jurisprudence since the 19 th century... and which, behind the pretext of explaining an action, are ways of defining an individual. – They are punished by means of a punishment that has the function of making the offender ‘not only desirous, but also capable, of living within the law and providing for his own needs.’” 5

Disciplines Individuating Name & define individuals for treatment – Normal Interlocking, the network of disciplines works together to create an edifice of power through omnipresent surveillance, the “panopticon” – Martial discipline – Psychology – Biology – Penal philosophy – Medicine & health – Sexuality – Sociology – Ethics – Etc. etc. etc. 6

Architecture “Architectures” of power The space in which people live & interact Power more present in these architectures than in individuals While individuals may occupy particular nodes within these networks of power, the power resides in the architecture Literal and metaphorical Networks What are the beliefs and behaviors encouraged by a particular structure? 7