53
See also: Karl Marx 28–31 ■ Max Weber 38–45 ■ Charles Wright Mills 46–49 ■
Herbert Marcuse 182–87 ■ Erich Fromm 188 ■ Jürgen Habermas 286–87
Michel Foucault
A brilliant polymath,
influential in the fields of
philosophy, psychology,
politics, and literary criticism
as well as sociology, Michel
Foucault was often associated
with the structuralist and
post-structuralist movements
in France, but disliked being
labeled as such. He was
born in Poitiers, France,
and studied philosophy
and psychology at the École
Normale Supérieure in Paris.
He taught in Sweden, Poland,
and Germany in the 1950s,
and received his doctorate in- He lectured in Tunisia
from 1966 to 1968 and when
he returned to Paris was
appointed head of philosophy
at the University of Vincennes.
Two years later, he was
elected to the Collège de
France as professor of “the
history of systems of thought.”
He died in 1984, one of the
first prominent victims of HIV/
AIDS-related illness in France.
Key works1969 The Archaeology of
Knowledge
1975 Discipline and Punish:
The Birth of the Prison
1976–84 The History of
Sexuality (three volumes)Michel Foucault, however, thought
that in today’s Western liberal
societies, these approaches are an
oversimplification. Power, he said,
is not just exercised by the state
or capitalists, but can be seen
at every level of society, from
individuals through groups and
organizations to society as a whole.
In his words, “power is everywhere,
and comes from everywhere.” He
also disagreed with the traditional
view of power as something that
can be possessed and wielded, like
a weapon. This, he says, is not
power, but a capacity to exercise
power—it does not become power
until some action is taken. Power is
therefore not something someone
has, but something that is done to
others, an action that affects the
action of others.Power relations
Instead of thinking of power
as a “thing,” Foucault sees it as a
“relation,” and explains the nature
of power through examination
of the power relations present at
every level of modern society. For
example, a power relation exists
between a man and the state in
which he lives, but at the same
time, there are different forms
of power relation between him
and his employer, his children,
the organizations to which he
belongs, and so on. ❯❯FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGY
Power is not simply
wielded by one level of
society over another, but
is present in every
level of society.Power relations
involve discourse
(systems of ideas), which
allows the possibility
of resistance.Where there is power
there is resistance.Power is something
that is enacted rather
than possessed......it is not a thing,
but a relation.