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Shaikhah Alhomaizi – Assignment 8

In Part 4 of Chapter 4 of “The History of Sexuality”, Foucault emphasizes what he calls, “a technology of sex” (1978:123). To explain the “technology of sex”, I will need to first explain the significance of the theory of “degenerescence”. This theory implied that sexual perversions resulted in the corruption of one’s bloodline. This implication became the base of new technologies of sex. The concept of degeneracy to sex lead people to think that sexual perversions were hereditary. The widespread of concerns resulted in the creation on “technology of sex” as a preventive and controlling measure, for example medicine. In addition, this concern created a change for their society in term of sex – sex would not only harm a person but it could harm their family as well.

I will discuss how medicine was used as a technology of sex and how its application helped us understand sexuality. Medicine or the medical institutions were created to prevent sexual perversions and the “diseases” (they might entail on the family), and ensure “normality” within the family (1978:123). Eugenics was one of the results of this technology, thus the concern became about life and illness rather than punishment.

In my opinion, through using medicine as an example of the technology of sex, I think that Foucault is explaining to us how sex can be controlled, specifically towards the lower class. In this chapter he emphasizes the interest of the bourgeoisie (upper-class), and how these theories and ideals placed on the lower class are used to cater them, especially in terms of repression. The repression in the nineteenth century was meant to increase the dominance of the bourgeoisie, thus the deployment of sexuality on the lower class. In abusing their power, the bourgeoisie managed to exaggerate the importance of sex rather than repress it. In conclusion, sexuality varies depending on one’s class, for the bourgeoisie/upper class it was used in means of self-affirmation and for the lower class it was used as means of control. Proving that because sexuality became a means of exercising power and control, repression did not actually exist.