Power, Ideological State Apparatuses & Others : Michel Foucault, Louis Althusser & Others

1. Power, Ideological State Apparatuses & Others
: Michel Foucault, Louis Althusser & Others
Course: Cultural Studies
May 11 & 18, 2014
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2. Power : Michel Foucault
Foucault argues a number of points in relation to power and
offers definitions that are directly opposed to more
traditional liberal and Marxist theories of power.
What is power?
According to Michel Foucault, Power is not an institution,
and not a structure; neither is it a certain strength we are
endowed with; it is the name that one attributes to a
complex strategically situation in a particular society.
Power is not a thing but a relation.
We live in a Web of Power-Relations.
Power operates at the most micro levels of social relations.
Power is omnipresent at every level of the social body.
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3. Power(continued)
Power is not simply a property of the State. Power is not
something that is exclusively localized in government and the
State (which is not a universal essence). Rather, power is
exercised throughout the social body.
Power is not simply repressive but it is productive.
The individual is the product of power.
― Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia
Where there is power, there is resistance.
― The History of Sexuality 1: An Introduction
There is no glory in punishing.
―The History of Sexuality 1: An Introduction
In its function, the power to punish is not essentially different
from that of curing and educating.
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4. Types of power
Disciplinary power
Discipline is a mechanism of power which regulates
the behaviour of individuals in the social body.
Foucault specifies that when he speaks of a
'disciplinary society' he does not mean a 'disciplined
society'.
Sovereign power
Sovereign power involves obedience to the law of
the king or central authority figure.
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5. Types of power (continued)
Bio-power
Foucault argues that Bio-power is a technology which
appeared in the late eighteenth century for managing
populations. If Disciplinary power is about training the
actions of bodies, Bio-power is about managing the
births, deaths, reproduction and illnesses of a
population.
Pastoral power
The idea of Pastoral power comes from the idea of
politically organizing the day to day conduct of the
population which is borrowed from the metaphor of the
care of a shepherd for his flock and originated in
Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Hebrew cultures.
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6. Power , Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
Foucault studied under Louis Althusser, an influential
Marxist thinker, who examined the way social
systems control human subjects.
Michel Foucault Louis Althusser
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7. Three versions of ideology prevalent in Marxism:
A system of beliefs characteristic to a particular class or group.
(The proletariat’s project is the abolition of class based society)
A system of illusory beliefs or false consciousness.
(All classes or class positions other than that of the
proletariat must be illusory)
A system of producing meanings and ideas.
(ideology is either process or the area of study)
According to Raymond Williams – Ideology hovers
between a system of beliefs of a class and a system of
illusory beliefs, false ideas or false consciousness,
unscientific knowledge.
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8. Gramsci : Idea of Hegemony and Counter-hegemony
The term “Hegemony” came from the writings of Karl Marx and
was conceptualized by Antonio Gramsci.
Hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural
power influenced by a dominant group over other groups.
Counter-hegemony refers to attempts to critique or dismantle
hegemonic power.
Gramsci believed the media have always had a key role in
teaching people to do things in their everyday lives that support
the power structures.
People look at how the media support power structures such as
government, capitalism/corporations and patriarchy.
Hegemony in the media encourage people to consent to status
quo, meaning power structures so therefore the middle class have
more power over working class or subalterns.
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9. Power , Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
(continued)
Althusser Divides social institutions into two
categories:
1. The Repressive State Apparatus: functions through
violence (potential or actual)
2. The Ideological State Apparatus: functions through
ideology (family, religion, education, law, political
parties, trade unions, the arts, mass media).
According to Althusser, the ISAs ensure the
reproduction of the relations of production.
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10. School vs. Prison
School
Authoritarian structure
Dress code
Emphasize on silence and
order
Negative reinforcement
Walk in lines
Loss of individual autonomy
Abridged freedoms
No input in decision making
Set time enforced for waking,
eating etc.
Prison
Authoritarian structure
Dress code
Emphasize on silence and
order
Negative reinforcement
Walk in lines
Loss of individual autonomy
Abridged freedoms
No input in decision making
Set time enforced for waking,
eating etc.

11. Power , Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
(continued)
“Schools serve the same social functions as prisons and mental
institutions- to define, classify, control, and regulate people.”
― Michel Foucault
Rabindranath Tagore also compared “school education” with prison
, asylum and so on. Tagore said –
“শিক্ষাকে দেওয়াল শেয়া শিশিয়া, দেট শেয়া রুদ্ধ েশিয়া, োকিায়ান শেয়া পাহািা
বসাইয়া, িাশি দ্বািা েণ্টশেত েশিয়া, িণ্টা দ্বািা তাড়া শেয়া মানবজীবকনি আিকে
এ েী শনিাকেি সৃশি েিা হইয়াকে।”
(প্রচশলত েণ্ডনীশত, িবীন্দ্র িচনাবলী)
পাঠিালা=পােলাোিে
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12. Thank You