The Introduction to the History of Sexuality by Foucault...

In The Introduction to the History of Sexuality, Foucault explains how during the 19th century with the raise of new societies, the discourse or knowledge about sex was not confronted with repulsion but it â€Å"put into operation an entire machinery for producing true discourses concerning sex† (Foucault 69). In fact, this spreading of discourse on sexuality itself gives a clear account of how sexuality has been controlled and confined because it was determined in a certain kind of knowledge that carries power within it. Foucault reflects on the general working hypothesis or â€Å"repressive hypothesis,† and how this has exercised power to suppress people’s sexuality. It has power on deciding what is normal or abnormal and ethical or unethical†¦show more content†¦Society might believe these discourses are true, but there are no such thing as true or false discourses; people just think and understand them as true or false as a means to control societies . With this method, people will be aware of what is normal and abnormal to do and it will prevent them from doing unacceptable acts. According to Foucault, modern societies begin to develop these discourses on sexuality and because they are so inscribed in us that is a way to control individuals’ sexuality by causing fear on us that keep us organized and shape societies. Many people will think there are ways in which people can reveal and Foucault leaves that as an option; nonetheless, those people resisting will just generate another discourse that entails some power. 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 wayShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Sex And Power955 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian, social theorist, philologist and literary critic whose work had a tremendous impact on several disciplines. He was not a sociologist by training, but he worked diligently on sociological issues and otherwise had significant influence on the work of other sociologists. One of his most famous works is the The History of Sexuality, in which he examines the emergence of sexuality as a discursive object and separate sphere of lifeRead More Repression and Fear of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Americans1610 Words   |  7 PagesFrancisco boast attendance in the hundreds of thousands. The legislative act of prohibition has provided strength to the prohibited acts in the case of sexual behavior and identity. Michel Foucault best explains how homosexuality became an identity and a category. In The History of Sexuality, Foucault explores the validity of the repressive hypothesis which claims that sex has been repressed in Europe since the Renaissance. For three centuries, the bourgeoisie, characterized by modern prudishnessRead MoreDiscourse of Sex and the Creation of Docile Bodies Essay1129 Words   |  5 PagesSubjection is a process that operates in society, and according to sociologist Michel Foucault, can be applied to a multiplicity of discourses. Foucault explains that the beginning of the nineteenth century marked the age of sexual repression and censorship, which became a time of subjection through exerting disciplinary control over a docile population. In his The Introduction to the History of Sexuality, Foucault explains how the scientification of sex came about. Specifically, it was an attemptRead More Eve Kosofsky Sedgwicks Tendencies: Queerness and Oppression1208 Words   |   5 PagesTendencies: Queerness and Oppression Over the last two decades or so, the idea of queerness is one that has been utilized and considered by individuals and communities of marginalized sexualities and genders. The concept is one that has attempted to broaden and deconstruct traditional notions of gender and sexuality in order to include all of their incarnations as valid experiences and identities. Queerness endeavors to include all of those who feel they are a part of it yet, seemingly, not everyoneRead MoreBiographical Paper Of Michel Foucault1272 Words   |  6 PagesPaper of Michel Foucault. Michel Foucault Kenya Coleman Principles of Sociology Professor Preston September 12, 2016 French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault, was born in Poitiers, France October 15, 1926. He was the professor of the History of Systems of Thought and also was the founder of Groupe d’information sur les prisons He wrote â€Å" Introduction† to Dream andRead MoreThe Argument Of Women s Subjugation Within Society As A Body Essay1319 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant reading that is imperative to the project is Foucault’s work titled The History of Sexuality: Volume One, as his analytics are applied to the female body as the hysterical woman, an important distinction as Foucault covers this form of body, as well as many other types of bodies, such as the masturbating child, Malthusian couple, and perverse adult since these are regarded as prototypical unities. Sexuality as the intersection between power and knowledge plays a key role in determining howRead MoreThe Power of and the Powers Behind Mass Media901 Words   |  4 Pagesprevious eras of human hi story. It behooves producers, distributors, and consumers of mass media to understand and consider the interplay between power and discourse within the context of mass media. Where is the power of mass media and who wields it? What does the political economy of power in mass media reflect about the structures and mechanisms at work in society? How does mass media work within a context of power and discourse? Referencing such authors as Marx, Chomsky, Foucault, and Jhally, the paperRead Moreâ€Å"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 â€Å"the Medicalisation of the Sexually Peculiar†.2171 Words   |  9 Pages4. â€Å"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 â€Å"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’Read MoreSocial Order (Foucault and Goffman)1463 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Social order derives from an interpretation of a net of relations, symbols and social codes. It creates a sense of how individuals all fit together in shared spaces (Silva, 2009, p. 308), and thus relies on encoding of human behaviour in physical spaces as well as among various individuals. In any society, people must acquire knowledge of how to relate to one another and their environment. Order is then established by a normalisation and standardisation of this knowledge. This essayRead MoreThe Prominence of Sex in International Government Relations1662 Words   |  7 Pagesbackdrop of a leader’s sexuality in the situate of public scandal in order shed light on the manner by which this progression from the private sexual fantasy to the public eye is one of control and manipulation in efforts to paint people and situations they inhabit until scandal breaks out and the public transforms from the controlled into the judge, jury, and social executioner of that which has departed from the normality, based solely on the department from the normality. Foucault says that sex â€Å"is