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1. Power, Ideological State Apparatuses & Others : Michel
Foucault, Louis Althusser & Others Course: Cultural Studies May
11 & 18, 2014 [email protected]
2. Power : Michel Foucault Foucault argues a number of points
in relation to power and offers definitions that are directly
opposed to more traditional liberal and Marxist theories of power.
What is power? According to Michel Foucault, Power is not an
institution, and not a structure; neither is it a certain strength
we are endowed with; it is the name that one attributes to a
complex strategically situation in a particular society. Power is
not a thing but a relation. We live in a Web of Power-Relations.
Power operates at the most micro levels of social relations. Power
is omnipresent at every level of the social body.
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3. Power(continued) Power is not simply a property of the
State. Power is not something that is exclusively localized in
government and the State (which is not a universal essence).
Rather, power is exercised throughout the social body. Power is not
simply repressive but it is productive. The individual is the
product of power. Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia Where
there is power, there is resistance. The History of Sexuality 1: An
Introduction There is no glory in punishing. The History of
Sexuality 1: An Introduction In its function, the power to punish
is not essentially different from that of curing and educating.
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4. Types of power Disciplinary power Discipline is a mechanism
of power which regulates the behaviour of individuals in the social
body. Foucault specifies that when he speaks of a 'disciplinary
society' he does not mean a 'disciplined society'. Sovereign power
Sovereign power involves obedience to the law of the king or
central authority figure. [email protected]
5. Types of power (continued) Bio-power Foucault argues that
Bio-power is a technology which appeared in the late eighteenth
century for managing populations. If Disciplinary power is about
training the actions of bodies, Bio-power is about managing the
births, deaths, reproduction and illnesses of a population.
Pastoral power The idea of Pastoral power comes from the idea of
politically organizing the day to day conduct of the population
which is borrowed from the metaphor of the care of a shepherd for
his flock and originated in Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Hebrew
cultures. [email protected]
6. Power , Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses Foucault
studied under Louis Althusser, an influential Marxist thinker, who
examined the way social systems control human subjects. Michel
Foucault Louis Althusser [email protected]
7. Three versions of ideology prevalent in Marxism: A system of
beliefs characteristic to a particular class or group. (The
proletariats project is the abolition of class based society) A
system of illusory beliefs or false consciousness. (All classes or
class positions other than that of the proletariat must be
illusory) A system of producing meanings and ideas. (ideology is
either process or the area of study) According to Raymond Williams
Ideology hovers between a system of beliefs of a class and a system
of illusory beliefs, false ideas or false consciousness,
unscientific knowledge. [email protected]
8. Gramsci : Idea of Hegemony and Counter-hegemony The term
Hegemony came from the writings of Karl Marx and was conceptualized
by Antonio Gramsci. Hegemony is the political, economic,
ideological or cultural power influenced by a dominant group over
other groups. Counter-hegemony refers to attempts to critique or
dismantle hegemonic power. Gramsci believed the media have always
had a key role in teaching people to do things in their everyday
lives that support the power structures. People look at how the
media support power structures such as government,
capitalism/corporations and patriarchy. Hegemony in the media
encourage people to consent to status quo, meaning power structures
so therefore the middle class have more power over working class or
subalterns. [email protected]
9. Power , Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
(continued) Althusser Divides social institutions into two
categories: 1. The Repressive State Apparatus: functions through
violence (potential or actual) 2. The Ideological State Apparatus:
functions through ideology (family, religion, education, law,
political parties, trade unions, the arts, mass media). According
to Althusser, the ISAs ensure the reproduction of the relations of
production. [email protected]
10. School vs. Prison School Authoritarian structure Dress code
Emphasize on silence and order Negative reinforcement Walk in lines
Loss of individual autonomy Abridged freedoms No input in decision
making Set time enforced for waking, eating etc. Prison
Authoritarian structure Dress code Emphasize on silence and order
Negative reinforcement Walk in lines Loss of individual autonomy
Abridged freedoms No input in decision making Set time enforced for
waking, eating etc.
11. Power , Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
(continued) Schools serve the same social functions as prisons and
mental institutions- to define, classify, control, and regulate
people. Michel Foucault Rabindranath Tagore also compared school
education with prison , asylum and so on. Tagore said , , , , ( , )
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