Post-structuralism Structuralism as constructive not destructive Post-structuralism as deconstruction Meanings are unstable, changing and contextual Impossible to construct laws of interaction and social order

Foucault Inputs of Power/knowledge—Nietzsche Structuralism—but no formal rules Marx—with a range of institutions Weber– rationalism Phenomenolgy—search for meaning

Foucault Discourse—the sum of action and language and interaction Genealogy—looking beneath convention to see real interactions “History of the present”

Foucault Concerned with the generation of power Knowledge as key to gaining and maintaining power Constitution of people as subjects Control people by controlling knowledge Not a conspiracy of knowledge hierarchy but unconscious structure of action

Foucault History lurches from one system of knowledge (and domination0 to another Internalized control by socialization is repressive The “gaze” How we view structures and the language used determine the mode and the measure of domination

Foucault Medicine as an example We see health and illness in concepts of normal and pathological Diseases are named—people are separated into normal deviant(sick) Society controls through this difference

Foucault Knowledge and power imply each other As the world has gotten more rational the system of controls have gotten more rational and linguistic Punishment has gone from torture to humane surveillance

Foucault Discipline as internalized New mode of subjugation is knowledge Society controls through self-control and ideas/language

Summation There is always resistance to the “iron cage” (Weber) Rationalism can only reach so far and does not and cannot completely control society Cult of the individual may be the end stage of humanity—opportunity and curse No formal rule governed model of behavior

Summation Knowledge is power Archeology and geneology as methods of discovery of knowledge Discourse Combat knowledge and power deficits with more knowledge (regain power) Knowledge as key to resisting domination