4. “The sodomite had been a temporary aberration; the homosexual was now species.” Explain what Foucault means by this remark with reference to the nineteenth century process he calls “the medicalisation of the sexually peculiar”. At the heart of the statement and references contained in the title are illustrations of how power is expressed through normative discourse in Western capitalist society. The process of how an act once termed ‘sodomy’ became transformed into the term ‘homosexual’ is fundamental to the nature of power in general and to the mechanism of discourse specifically. Foucault draws our attention to domains of discourse that are characterised by establishing quantifiable knowledge as truth, which society …show more content…
20). With population issues viewed more in the utilitarian terms of capitalist interests, it became important for the state to manage these terms and monitor its own interests in how much control individuals had in their use of sex (1977, p. 26). Up until the 19th century any exercise of institutional regulation of sex was to provide rights, obligations and restrictions within the married unit (Foucault, 1977, p. 37). Foucault traces the process of the absorption of sex into discourse through the subjugation of sex to the monastic confessional tradition of the Catholic church. This is something that was, according to Foucault, peculiar to the west not because of the act of confessing sexual transgressions, but because it demanded a high degree of self-report and self-regulation. Importantly, while a level of discretion was increasingly favoured by church authorities, the scope of the sexual confessions went far beyond prohibited acts to encompass all thoughts, desires and urges tinged by sex (1977, p. 19). The effect of the confession was to situate forbidden aspects of sex in a discourse that both increased the power of the discourse and placed sex at the heart of the nature of identity, akin to the soul. This form of prohibition was, according to Foucault, ‘peculiar to the West’ precisely because of how the power of discourse succeeded in engaging the individual in a watchful inner-dialogue, resulting in the
The woman’s role in society had many changes during the era of WWII to the baby boom era. It went from the strong independent woman that can work in a factory to a house wife that takes care of the family to the final slightly dominant, but still dependent female. All of these different feminine mystiques were changed because of society and through indirect propaganda in TV shows and
Women were able to redefine the role of the wife in the household. Women were allowed to dress differently, act differently, and change how they act in public. This new redefinition allowed women to express a new kind of
The concept of femininity and masculinity is mentioned many times throughout the essay to highlight it
Quite clearly, male sexual performance was a major key to being male. It was a man's sexual organs that made him different and superior to the woman. But maleness was somewhat fragile, and it was important for a man to keep demonstrating his maleness by action and thought, especially by sexual action. It was part of his duty to keep his female partners happy and satisfied, and unless he did so, he had failed as a man. (41)
as “meaning men” and “being a men” in the middle. Furthermore, the effects attained from these
According to the results, women began to dress differently and deal with men’s activities, like sports. Besides, female sexuality in terms of behavior started to be socially built based on what society felt was appropriate, even if that meant a negative reaction. Women’s functions and their experiments with intimacy significantly changed. Women’s gender roles shifted towards greater equality and sexual power at that time period.
During the Middle Ages, except for those in religious positions, women were only seen as three things, which were daughter, wife, and mother. But in the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, new opportunities in learning humanism arose for only those in the higher class families. Even though they started to educate themselves, the majority had no rights whatsoever in money matters as well as estate. From the 17th century and up to the scientific revolution, women’s rights had consistently been improving. However, during the revolution, the study of the human body brought to attention that the male brain is quite larger than that of a female. This revelation set back the female race back to a limited role, but this time this setback was
Then in society, men were portrayed as “dominant figures” and women were the “nurturers”. Men not only filled the fatherly role but they also usually earned the “breadwinning”, went to work all day, and financially provided for the wives and
For years, many scholars have provided many discussions over the topic of gender and sexuality. However, one needs to ask themselves: Are these two topics, gender and sexuality, useful as a category for historical analysis? The articles written by both Joan W. Scott and Afsaneh Najmabadi, answer such a question. By critically examining and assessing their two article, can the usefulness of gender and sexuality as a category for historical analysis be proven.
The uniform truth about sex is really a consistent and unique truth that is inscribed upon society as necessary to keep societies organized and controlled. These controlled systems acquire and control our sexual appetite too for effectiveness because our sexuality is the weakness point of our bodies through which multiple discourses or sources of knowledge can pervade our conduct and our existence (Foucault 69). The control of our sexual feelings is the best method to discipline our behaviors, and thru discourses of knowledge is how power is prompted. For instance, Foucault explains that through confessions power is applied. As humans, we tend to see such confessions as a way
sexism, and feminism were all going on at this time and therefore influenced it greatly.
behavior and a cry for the recognition of women's rights ( ). Instead its theme
Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.
Michel Foucault’s work within philosophy has made important impacts when it comes to understanding how power affects a capitalist state. Believed that history of a country should how the past created a better future for society but in most cases through history, that was not the case. One of the examples that Foucault uses is how the mentally ill were treated in the Renaissance compared to the 18th century. During the Renaissance period, the mental ill people were allowed to seen within society and were seen as useful and gave wisdom into their society rather than in the 18th century. People with mental illness were put away and see as a burden to society and seen as needed to being cured by sinister people. Another example that Foucault discuss
Therе arе mаny wаys in which tо exаmine the cоncept оf gеnder. Mаny pеоplе simplу detеrmine gеnder as a divisiоn intо mаle аnd femаle but it becоmеs mоre difficult with theоry. In Judith Butler’s Performative Acts and Gender Constitution she says that gender is an act that is repeаted, reеnacted and re-еxperienced (Butler, 1988:906). It is a performance that is impоsed to individuаls by mаny outsidе sоurces thrоughout histоry such as the sоciety. She аlso аdds that sоciety mоlds us into how we view “men” and “women” shоuld act or behavе. We wеre raised to behаve in cеrtain wаys that оur pаrent’s beliеve were traits of a prоper lаdy or a gentlemаn becаuse they too, were rаised with the same understаndings.