Power, the Social Body, and the Breeding the Individuals in Foucault

SZALÓ, Csaba. Power, the Social Body, and the Breeding the Individuals in Foucault. In Rethinking Foucault’s Historical Ontology of Ourselves: Sub­jects, Sub­jec­ti­va­ti­on, Self-Prac­ti­ces. International Conference, Innsbruck University, June 21-22, 2024. 2024.

Basic information

Original name

Power, the Social Body, and the Breeding the Individuals in Foucault

Authors

SZALÓ, Csaba

Edition

Rethinking Foucault’s Historical Ontology of Ourselves: Sub­jects, Sub­jec­ti­va­ti­on, Self-Prac­ti­ces. International Conference, Innsbruck University, June 21-22, 2024, 2024

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Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Prezentace na konferencích

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Keywords in English

embodiment; social body; Nietzsche; power

Tags

International impact, Reviewed

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Abstract

V originále

This paper explores the formation of the social body and human embodiment through the lens of Michel Foucault's work: How to think about the phenomena that create, cultivate, breed, produce the social body? While traditional monarchies relied on the security of the king's physical body, Foucault argues that modernity prioritizes the protection of the social body itself. This protection, however, extends beyond mere political action. Foucault suggests that all institutions, regardless of their explicit purpose, are implicated in the performance of power and violence, and it is this power that actively produces the social body. The paper then questions whether power not only produces the social body, but also creates, cultivates, and breeds the bodies of individual inhabitants within that society. This leads to a discussion of how Foucault's interpretation of Nietzsche can be understood. __Can we read Foucault as positing an impersonal force of power that permeates all bodies, both individual and collective?__ Finally, the paper acknowledges the complexities within Foucault's work. His engagement with thinkers like Nietzsche, Althusser, and Marcuse led him to adopt various and potentially contradictory perspectives on the human embodiment. Instead of seeking a unified interpretation of Foucault, the paper suggests that these tensions and contradictions can be productive, offering valuable insights into current discussions on power, the social body, and the embodiment of human individuals.