Veronica Sample Paper

8/18/2019 Veronica Sample Paper

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Veronica Foster

WG232

10/28/11

“against the system that was bent on controlling it”:

A Focal!ian "olitics o# $esistance

%n "art V o# The History of Sexuality, Volume 1& 'ichel Focalt !ocments the historical

shi#t #rom a so(ereign )ower concentrate! in !eath to a normali*e!& instittionali*e! reglation

o# li#e #ocse! in )art on the control o# se+ality, -e arges that this mo(ement mar.s not only a

reconce)tali*ation o# the li(ing sbect as a (alable sorce o# both labor an! )ro!ction bt

also a new )olitical interest in se+ as a site o# sr(eillance& classi#ication& an! management,

%n!i(i!als in the contem)orary social or!er !e#ine themsel(es an! are !e#ine! throgh their

relation to se+ an! se+ality& so while se+ might #eel “taboo” an! ths a))ear to sb(ert social

control& it in #act o)erates within a hegemonic system o# meaning an! ths rein#orces )ower

strctres, Focalt contrasts the #alse resistance o##ere! by se+ with other #orms o# rebellion&

incl!ing sici!e& the strggle #or “rights&” an!& most #amosly& a new economy o# “bo!ies an!

)leasres,” hese strategies re)resent a Focal!ian )olitics o# resistance that o))oses the

hierarchi*ation an! control o# )eo)le throgh an a))eal to the mlti)licity o# sbecti(ities,

hogh Focalt !emrs #rom recommen!ing a s)eci#ic corse o# action that col! be #ollowe!

to sb(ert e+isting )ower strctres& his wor. in "art V o##ers tactics #or n!ermining this )ower

throgh in!i(i!al action,

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Focalts !elineation o# the historical shi#t #rom a )olitics o# )ower locate! in the

so(ereign right to mete ot !eath to a more !i##se “)owersitate! an! e+ercise! at the le(el o#

li#e” 1345 ser(es to e+)lain the increasingly rigoros sr(eillance an! management o# se+ality

that characteri*es contem)orary society, 6ring the eighteenth centry& )ower& once the

)ossession o# a select #ew an! “e+ercise! mainly as a means o# !e!ction” 1375& became more

!i##se& o)erating not only within instittions li.e the #amily an! )olice #orce bt also as a

normali*ing technie wor.ing within the “s)here o# economic )rocesses” 1915, Following this

trans#ormation o# the #orms an! #nctions o# )ower& the hman bo!y was reimagine! as a sorce

o# both labor an! )ro!ction& ca)able o# contribting to a wor.#orce an! o# creating new li#e,

e+& then& re)resents a signi#icant locs o# )ower becase:

“%t #itte! in both categories at once& gi(ing rise to in#initesimal sr(eillances&

)ermanent controls& e+tremely meticlos or!erings o# s)ace& in!eterminate

me!ical or )sychological e+aminations& to an entire micro;)ower concerne!

with the bo!y,


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!e)loyment o# se+ality organi*e! by )ower” 1>>5, What .in!s o# acts are !one with whom now

s)ea.s to who we are& an! not st what we li.e, e+ #nctions as a way to create meaning within a

)ower strctre )re!icate! on labels an! on hierarchies: “%t is throgh se+=in #act& an imaginary )oint

!etermine! by the !e)loyment o# se+ality=that each in!i(i!al has to )ass in or!er to ha(e access to

his own intelligibilityto the whole o# his bo!yto his i!entity” 1>75, 6es)ite the #act that se+

o)erates within the hegemonic strctre o# se+ality& it a))ears to many to be “roote! in a s)eci#ic an!

irre!cible rgency which )ower tries as best it can to !ominate 1>>5, %n other wor!s& se+ feels

sb(ersi(e e(en thogh it rei#ies e+isting )ower strctres, Focalt notes that “We mst not thin. that

by saying yes to se+& one says no to )ower? on the contrary& one trac.s along the corse lai! ot by the

general !e)loyment o# se+ality” 1>45, he #alse resistance o##ere! by the act o# se+ conceals the

insi!iosness o# a )ower that names acts in or!er to control them an! )ri(ileges certain se+alities o(er

others in an attem)t to #lly harness the )ower o# the li(ing bo!y,

hogh se+& at least as it is concei(e! o# in the contem)orary historical moment& o##ers

only a “mirage” 1>45 o# in!i(i!al )ower an! resistance& Focalt i!enti#ies other actions that

ha(e the )otential to !isr)t )ower strctres? among these is sici!e, Following the

trans#ormation o# )ower #rom a )olitics o# !eath to “one a!!resse! to the bo!y& to li#e& to what

cases it to )roli#erate& to what rein#orces the s)ecies& its stamina& its ability to !ominate& or its

ca)acity #or being se!” 1945& the role o# !eath in Western society change! !ramatically,

A!(ances in technology interr)te! the cycles o# #amine an! !isease that )re(iosly

characteri*e! li#e& an! the reconce)tali*ation o# the hman bo!y as a (alable li(ing asset

reslte! in a )olitics “increasingly in#orme! by the na.e! estion o# sr(i(al” 1345, As )ower

became more in(este! in the )reser(ation o# li#e on the le(el o# both the in!i(i!al an! the

)o)lation& !eath began to threaten the totality o# )ower rather than ser(e as its re)resentation,

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%n a cltre where e(ery as)ect o# li#e is care#lly co!e! an! controlle!& “!eath is )owers limit&

the moment that esca)es it? !eath becomes the most secret as)ect o# e+istence& the most

@)ri(ate” 1385, Gi(en )owers !e)en!ence on maintaining li#e:

“%t is not sr)rising that sici!e=once a crime& since it was a way to sr) the

)ower o# !eath which the so(ereign alonebecame& in the corse o# the

nineteenth centry& one o# the #irst con!cts to enter into the s)here o#

sociological analysis? it testi#ie! to the in!i(i!al an! )ri(ate right to !ie& at

the bor!ers an! in the interstices o# )ower that was e+ercise! o(er li#e,” 135

ici!e re)resents the reclamation o# an act so inherently )ri(ate that e(en the !i##se )ower o#

the mo!ern age cannot control it& e+ce)t to incl!e !eath in the list o# statistics to be a(oi!e!, As

sch& it ser(es as a #orm o# resistance becase it ta.es the in!i(i!al )rerogati(e not to com)ly

with societys insistence on li#e to its logical e+treme,

Focalt i!enti#ies the strggle #or “rights” as another site o# resistance that col!

)otentially n!ermine e+isting )ower strctres, As a reoin!er to the increase! management o#

li#e as a means o# )ro!ction an! labor& he notes that some began to a!(ocate #or:

“he @right to li#e& to ones bo!y& to health& to ha))iness& to the satis#action o#

nee!s& an! beyon! all the o))ressions or @alienations& the @right to re!isco(er

what one is an! all that one can be& this @right=which the classical ri!icalsystem was tterly inca)able o# com)rehen!ing=was the )olitical res)onse to

all these new )roce!res o# )ower which !i! not !eri(e& either& #rom the

tra!itional right o# so(ereignty,” 19>5

he in!i(i!alistic langage o# “rights” #nctions as a challenge to a “normali*ing society” 1995

that (ales con#ormity o(er )ersonal !i##erence, Bnli.e sici!e& which e+iste! be#ore the

trans#ormation o# )ower an! change! only in meaning& not in #orm& the new em)hasis on basic

hman rights re)resents a maor i!eological shi#t #rom )re(ios !reams an! !esires: “Cne no

longer as)ire! towar! the coming o# the em)eror o# the )oor& or the .ing!om o# the latter !ays&

or e(en the restoration o# or imagine! ancestral rights? what was !eman!e! an! what ser(e! as

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an obecti(e was li#e& n!erstoo! as the basic nee!s” 19>5, At the same time that )ower

!isco(ere! the (ale o# the care#l management o# li#e an! its )ossibilities& “li#e as a )olitical

obect was in a sense ta.en at #ace (ale an! trne! bac. against the system that was bent on

controlling it” 19>5, he )olitical res)onse to a system o# )ower that e+)loite! the labor an!

)ro!cti(e )owers o# li(ing sbects was to reclaim li#e as the csto!y o# the in!i(i!al,

he most well;.nown a))roach that Focalt o##ers to combat the increasing sr(eillance

an! categori*ation o# li#e& an! es)ecially o# se+ality& is the neblos notion o# “bo!ies an!

)leasres,” A#ter arging that the i!ea o# se+ is in #act integral to the !e)loyment o# se+ality

becase it encom)asses not only biological im)lses bt also “an instinct which& throgh its

)ecliar !e(elo)ment an! accor!ing to the obects to which it col! become attache!& ma!e it

)ossible #or )er(erse beha(ior )atterns to arise an! ma!e their genesis intelligible” 1>35&

Focalt notes that only by reecting the labeling an! hierarchi*ation o# se+al acts can the

control o# se+ality be resiste!, -e writes that:

“%t is the agency o# se+ that we mst brea. away #rom& i# we aim=throgh atactical re(ersal o# the (arios mechanisms o# se+ality=to conter the gri)s

o# )ower with the claims o# bo!ies& )leasres& an! .nowle!ges& in their

mlti)licity an! their )ossibility o# resistance, he rallying )oint #or theconterattac. against the !e)loyment o# se+ality oght not to be se+;!esire&

bt bo!ies an! )leasres,” 1>45

As with sici!e an! the strggle #or rights& the “!i##erent economy o# bo!ies an! )leasres”

1>5 that Focalt recommen!s resists the !i##se& normali*ing )ower o# contem)orary society

throgh an a))eal to in!i(i!ality an! mlti)licity, e+& at least in its crrent #orm& reires a set

o# i!enti#iers=homose+al& heterose+al& monogamos=to achie(e meaning within the

symbolic or!er o# se+ality,


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areas o# li#e& wol! (ale the )re#erences o# all in!i(i!als& an! not st those whose se+al acts

maintain the s)remacy o# a )ower in(este! in li#e,

hogh Focalts wor. in "art V o# The History of Sexuality, Volume I o##ers no easy

answers #or how to o))ose the !i##se )ower o(er li#e that he so com)ellingly !elineates& it !oes

re(eal se(eral strategies o# resistance, ici!e& the strggle #or “rights&” an! the i!ea o# “bo!ies

an! )leasres” re)resent three !istinct tactics that sb(ert the normali*ing )ower o#

contem)orary society throgh a retrn to in!i(i!ality an! mlti)licity, Bnli.e the #alse

resistance o##ere! by se+& which ser(es to rei#y e+isting )ower strctres& these strategies

con#ront )ower throgh its greatest interest an! in(estment: li#e, ici!e threatens the

s)remacy o# this )ower by ta.ing the )ri(acy o# !eath to its e+treme& the rhetoric o# “rights”

asserts the in!i(i!ality o# hman e+istence& an! “bo!ies an! )leasres” reects the

categori*ation o# se+ throgh an a))eal to mlti)licity, ogether& these a))roaches o##er the ho)e

o# resistance an! re(eal the ra!ical measres that wol! ha(e to be ta.en in or!er to sb(ert a

)ower that o)erates within almost e(ery as)ect o# li#e,

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Wor.s Dite!

Focalt& 'ichel, The history of sexuality, Eew or.: Vintage& 10, "rint,

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Veronica Sample Paper