332. Theory 07 : Michel Foucault

Michel Foucault: 1926-1984
French Philosopher, Historian, Social Theorist, Transdisciplinary
Post-Structuralist (Rejected Structuralists' fixed meanings and accepted multiple interpretations)
Postmodernist
Essentialist
Controversial Theorist. Also, known for his childhood traumas and certain perversions. 
Criticised power, knowledge, discourse, institutions, social practices, etc.

"Madness and Civilization" (1961): Traces the historical evolution of Madness in the Middle Ages through the 18th century. It was more a social construct. 

"The Birth of the Clinic" (1963): Shows the development of modern medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries. It created a new way of looking at human bodies which he called the medical gaze which was a dehumanizing and sinister way of looking at the patient. The doctor saw the human body just as a set of organs, not a person. 

"The Order of Things" (1966): Explores the underlying traditions that make knowledge possible during different historical epochs. He identifies 3 epistemes- Renaissance, Classical and Modern.

"The Archeology of Knowledge" (1969): Approaches the intellectual history and focuses on great thinkers or ideas.

"Discipline and Punish" (1975): Explores the evolution of punishment public torture and execution in the pre-modern era to till the emergence of prison system in the 19th century.

Biopower and Biopolitics : Biopower is the modern forms of power of how governments and institutions exercise power over people through invisible means. It is productive too like, military's power, etc.
Example of Biopower is seen in the novel 1984 by George Orwell.

Governmentality: 

Heterotopia:

Power and Knowledge (Savoir/Connaissance): Connaissance is formal knowledge and it makes knowledge possible which is called the Savoir.
Power is not negative always. Power is Knowledge. Power and Knowledge are interconnected. Modern institutions regulate behaviour through knowledge. To him, power was pervasive; it is dispersed; not just invested with government or police. It is less visible and is exercised in a normalised way.
In physics, power is transfer of energy. It is an ambiguous term too.

Discourse: A system of knowledge production that defines and limits what can be said or thought within a society. It is the ways of constituting knowledge. Eg: Women demand equal wages in the 19th century but child care's equal distribution was not demanded.

Episteme: It is about what determines the mode of thinking possible in a particular era.

Genealogy : It examines how practices, institutions and concepts emerge from specific historical power struggles rather than rational progress.

Panopticism : How modern societies exercise power and control over individuals in a subtle yet highly effective way. Like, surveillance is used to discipline various kinds of institutions.

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