- Power-knowledge
Power-knowledge is a
concept coined by the Frenchphilosopher Michel Foucault .Definition of power-knowledge
Power is based on knowledge and makes use of knowledge; on the other hand, power reproduces knowledge by shaping it in accordance with its anonymous intentions. Power (re-) creates its own fields of exercise through knowledge.
Foucault incorporates this inevitable mutual inherence in his
neologism power-knowledge, the most important part of which is the hyphen that links the two aspects of the integrated concept together.It is helpful noting that Foucault has a textual understanding of both power and knowledge. Both power and knowledge are to be seen as de-centralised, relativistic, ubiquitous, and unstable (dynamic) systemic phenomena. Thus Foucault’s concept of power draws on micro-relations without falling into
reductionism because it does not neglect, but emphasizes, the systemic (or structural) aspect of the phenomenon.Implications
According to this understanding, knowledge is never neutral, as it determines force relations. The notion of power-knowledge is therefore likely to be employed in critical, normative contexts.
History of the term
In his later works, Foucault replaced his notion of power-knowledge by the term
governmentality which points to a specific mentality of governance.References
Translated English version:
* Foucault, Michel, "The History of Sexuality", vol. 1, Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1981 (see pp. 92-102).
The original document in French language:
* Foucault, Michel, "Histoire de la sexualité, volume 1: La volonté de savoir", Paris, Gallimard, 1976.
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