For this weeks blog submission I will be discussing Michel Foucault's 1976 "Method". Foucault was a French historian and philosopher often associated with the structuralist and post-structuralist movements. He is considered to be one of the great critical thinkers of the 20th century providing insight into topics such as human sexuality and the failures of the prison system. In "Method", Foucault focuses on the relationship between discourse and power.
We all have been told countless times throughout elementary and high school how "knowledge is power" and the quest for knowledge will get you further in life. Foucault challenges this notion by stating that power has always come from below, elaborating on page 135 stating, "there is no binary and all-encompassing opposition between rulers and ruled at the root of power relations and serving as a general matrix". We see examples of power coming from below all throughout history and presently. The 18-day protest in Egypt which ousted former President Hosni Mubarak from power is a modern day example of how when there is power (especially corrupt power) there is resistance.
Power relations existence depend on points of resistance, these play the role of adversary, target, support or handle in power relations (p. 135). That being said, there is no all encompassing resistance, there are numerous resistances, each of them unique. Because of this Foucault explains resistance "are distributed in irregular fashion: the points, knots, or focuses of resistance are spread over time and space at varying densities, at times mobilizing groups or individuals in a definitive way, inflaming certain points of the body, certain moments in life, certain types of behaviour".
Foucault, M. (1976) Method. In Szeman, I., Kaposy, T. (2011)
Culture Theory: An Anthology (p. 134-138). Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell
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