Feminism, Foucault, and embodied subjectivity / Margaret A. McLaren.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McLaren, Margaret A., 1960-

Series:

SUNY series in contemporary continental philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984.

Foucault, Michel.

Feminist theory.

Subjectivity.

Physical Description:

ix, 230 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2002]

Summary:

Addressing central questions in the debate about Foucault's usefulness for politics, including his rejection of universal norms, his conception of power and power-knowledge, his seemingly contradictory position on subjectivity and his resistance to using identity as a political category, McLaren argues that Foucault employs a conception of embodied subjectivity that is well-suited for feminism. She applies Foucault's notion of practices of the self to contemporary feminist practices, such as consciousness-raising and autobiography, and concludes that the connection between self-transformation and social transformation that Foucault theorizes as the connection between subjectivity and institutional and social norms is crucial for contemporary feminist theory and politics.

Contents:

Chapter 1. The Feminism and Foucault Debate: Stakes, Issues, Positions 1

Chapter 2. Foucault, Feminism, and Norms 19

Postmodernism and Politics 20

Feminist Critics 23

Genealogy As Critique 30

Problems With Power 36

Foucault's Skepticism 41

Conclusion: Foucault and Feminist Resistance 48

Chapter 3. Foucault and the Subject of Feminism 53

Feminist Critics 54

Foucault's Challenge to Subjectivity 56

Foucault's Refusal 60

Foucault's Genealogy of the Subject 64

Aesthetics of Existence: Life as a Work of Art 68

The Relational Feminist Subject 74

Chapter 4. Foucault and the Body: A Feminist Reappraisal 81

Foucault's Body 83

Feminist Extenders: Disciplinary Practices and the Feminine Body 91

A Foucauldian Feminist Criticism of Foucault's Body 99

Feminist Resistance to the Deployment of Sexuality 110

Chapter 5. Identity Politics: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality 117

Identity Politics 118

Foucault on Identity 122

Postmodern Criticisms of Identity Politics 124

Herculine Barbin and the Sexed Body 127

Bisexuality: Identity and Politics 135

Chapter 6. Practices of the Self: From Self-transformation to Social Transformation 145

Foucault's Technologies of the Self 146

Self-Writing 148

Parrhesia (Truth telling) 152

Consciousness-Raising 155.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-224) and index.

ISBN:

0791455130

0791455149

OCLC:

49355939