Power and Discourse Flashcards
Who was Michel Foucault and what fields did he influence?
Foucault (1926–1984) was a philosopher and psychologist whose ideas greatly influenced the humanities and social sciences.
What was Foucault’s position in 1970?
He became Professor of the History of Systems of Thought at the Collège de France.
Name two of Foucault’s major theoretical works.
The Order of Things (1966), The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969)
What is a key idea in The Order of Things?
Cultural systems are self-referential and self-sustaining efforts to classify and understand the world (Smith 2001: 123)
How does Foucault differ from Marx regarding ideology?
Foucault sees discourse as autonomous and not tied to ideology, while Marx links ideology to class, economy, and the state.
What does Foucault argue about the limits of human knowledge?
Drawing on Nietzsche, he questions whether any human knowledge can provide a complete, impartial understanding of society (Smith 2001: 124).
Define “discourse” according to Foucault.
A group of statements that form a language for discussing a topic; structured knowledge that governs practices.
What are the three functions of discourse?
Discourse enables, constrains, and constitutes.
How can academic disciplines be seen as discourses?
They frame topics differently (e.g., Film as commodity in economics vs. text in literary studies).
How have new discourses shaped social groups and professions?
They created and categorized deviant groups (e.g. lunatics, criminals) and elevated experts (e.g. doctors, psychiatrists).
Are discourses free of power relations?
No, they are always entangled with power and arise from power/knowledge relationships (Smith 2001: 122–123).
How do right-wing and Marxist theorists view power?
Right-wing: in terms of law and sovereignty. Marxist: as the state apparatus enforcing capitalist ideology.
What is Foucault’s view on how power operates?
Power is exercised from below, not just by rulers; it’s present in all relationships and met with resistance.
How does Foucault relate discourse and power?
Discourse can transmit and produce power but also expose and resist it.
Define “sovereign power” in Foucault’s terms.
Prevalent in 18th-century monarchies; exercised through physical punishment, rituals, and public displays.
What is “disciplinary power”?
Operates continuously via institutions (e.g., schools, prisons), monitoring and training the body using rational techniques.
What is “biopower”?
A set of techniques for controlling populations and bodies (e.g., demography, public health, statistics).
Name one historical critique of Foucault’s work.
Historians argue prisons evolved slowly, not via sudden rupture as Foucault suggested.
What are some ethical criticisms of Foucault?
He’s accused of relativism, rejecting truth and reason, which may hinder social critique and change.
What do humanist critics argue about Foucault?
He underestimates human agency and overstates the control exerted by discourse.
What are stylistic criticisms of Foucault’s work?
His writing is dense and difficult to understand, partly due to French academic style.
