5 Assignment 07

In his book, History of Sexuality, Foucault emphasized concepts of power and pleasure in relation to sexuality. Similar to Federici, Foucault talks about capitalism and how it deprived people of simple pleasures unless it was purposed for the benefit of the population. The law repressed sex that did not procreate, and as Foucault points out, it motivated revolts in people who wanted to experience freedom through overturning the repressive law on sexuality. There is interplay of power and pleasure, where people experience pleasure through sexual activities, and those in power are seeking to take away such pleasure from the people. Another aspect of power and pleasure is introduced when Foucault argues that pleasure is also experienced by those who exert power over others. There is an interesting relationship of how those being oppressed and those exerting oppression are both in a way striving to gain pleasure through their actions. In part two of the book, Foucault talks about the Catholic Church and the Christian pastoral, and one can see that people are seeking pleasure through sexual activities. People confessed to their sin of submitting to desire by seeking pleasure from sex. Despite the law that set boundaries in regards to sexuality, the high number of confessions indicated that people were still seeking pleasure from sex, even if it meant going against the law. This led to increased discourse amongst the people, and moreover, this was desired by Church leaders, who wanted to reconvert people back into faith by having them come to face with their sinful desires and eventually learn to master it.

The repression on sexuality is not as straightforward as one may think. Foucault explores many aspects throughout history, and even relates it to modern society, on the topic of sexuality and its continuous progression in regards to how it is represented and practiced.

People were oppressed because they weren’t “normal” and went against “nature.” Will there ever be a time when we can overcome this boundary of what is considered natural in this world and allow all kinds of people to be connected as one?

The Playboy magazine gives men pleasure by objectifying women. Is that a dominant desire shared by most men almost as a hidden natural instinct, or is it acquired taste?

I read Part 1 of The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault. Part one described the Victorian regime and how we continue to be dominated by it today. The seventeenth century was a time of direct gestures, shameless discourses and open transgression. This was a period of when bodies “made a display of themselves.” Sexuality had been careful confined during the Victorian bourgeoisie. When talking about the subject of sex, you had to be silent about it. The conjugal couple had imposed themselves as models and enforced the norm, truth, and reserved the right to speak while retaining the principle of secrecy. During this time. children were not allowed to have sex, talk about sex or even hear sexual comments or acts. These were some of the characteristics that were features attributes to repression. The topic of sex was not allowed to be spoken of during this tine. If it was necessary for sexual acts, the brothels and the mental hospitals would be places they can be freely with their sexuality. Only in these places would sex have the right. In other places it would be considered taboo, nonexistence and silent. If sex is so rigorously repressed, it is because it is incompatible with a general and intensive work imperative. The demand for sexual freedom had become very popular and the right to speak about it by gaining knowledge from it. A question I have after reading The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault, was why having sex and speaking about anything sex related was such a sin and banned against? Another question I have after reading this article was, why did sexual repression come about in there first place? How did it establish?

According to Foucault, sexuality is the principle focus of our modern society, that has been repressed behind medicine and institutions of religions. The truth of sexuality as he sees it is hidden within the context of pleasure one receives when practicing these interest. Scientia sexualis is a scientific approach to the study of sex used by the western civilization compared to the ars erotica, the perception that sex is explained as a form art. He emphasises that ars erotica was not completely taken out of the western views on sexuality because it is still relevant through religious expression. Sexuality and dominant erotica is cloaked by path to love and God by virtue of spiritual connection and pleasure. Being possessed was the guise of sexual fulfillment instated by the Catholic church as a means to subdue and contain any discourse of sexuality by its followers. In Christianity God the father is the path to enlightenment, and the source of pleasure. Confession was another metaphoric representation of how sex and sexuality were part of the ars erotica. The entire act is sexaualized from the kneeling, to the asking for forgiveness. Cleansing the souls impurities while becoming exposed and submissive to the priest as he signs the cross gently on the forehead. Foucault attempts to tie together the idea that scientia sexualis has not been as successful at defining sex as an art form or ars erotica, instead it has created its own identity of pleasure. Using that pleasure to determine other pleasures and uncover new truths to the new specific pleasures.

Even by only reading the first few chapters, I can say that this whole book is deep and rich with meaning and it seems to be interpreted many different ways and most definitely a lot to process.

Foucault used the words pleasure and truth throughout the,” History of Sexuality”. What is does he mean by truth and pleasure? How and why are these concepts relevant to sexuality?

Due Sunday, October 22nd, by midnight. Word count, at least 300 words. You may include a brief quotation, but be sure this is followed by your interpretation of the text, as indicated in the instructions below and include the proper citation (either MLA or APA). Late assignments will be accepted for partial credit if they are submitted no later than one week after the original deadline.

1. Read Kyla Wazana Tompkins’s handout, “some notes on how to ask a good question about theory that will provoke conversation and further discussion from your colleagues.”

2. Write a brief summary of a passage from Part One, Two, or Three of Foucault’s History of Sexuality. As Tompkins suggests, imagine yourself as a teacher by trying to organize the information that Foucault introduces.

3. Finally, write at least two questions about the passage. Let Tompkin’s worksheet guide your approach and “imagine how your own questions impact or reach other people’s ears and eyes. Scaffold your question with the information people need to answer it; ground your question deeper into the text itself.”