SOSC 3375 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Gender Studies, Jeremy Bentham, Panopticism

• School: York University
• Department: Social Science
• Course: SOSC 3375
• Professor: Reese Simpkins

Document Summary

Michel foucault has contributed to the socio-legal realm with various theories revolving around history, political theory, sociology and gender studies. Foucault is one of frances foremost intellectuals who were instrumental in formulating theories on power, discipline, government structures and the tool of knowledge. Foucault was a key figure in analyzing governmentality and power structures within society. Foucault was interested in how politics were formed to create laws, essentially (cid:395)uestio(cid:374)i(cid:374)g the (cid:858)politi(cid:272)s of e(cid:448)e(cid:396)(cid:455)da(cid:455)(cid:859). Fou(cid:272)ault fo(cid:272)used p(cid:396)i(cid:373)a(cid:396)il(cid:455) o(cid:374) the (cid:396)elatio(cid:374) of ho(cid:449) la(cid:449) is used as an instrument to carry out particular political ideologies. Foucault explores the characteristics of power and concludes that it is ever changing, that power shifts and is ever- changing. As power is ever-changing it is influential and inherent to how law is also implemented. Foucault states that power is productive, it is an inevitable norm that is embedded within society, it produces ideas of legality and normality.