Power (according to Foucault)

From Geography

According to Foucault power is everywhere. ‘Relationships of power’ exist everywhere and everyone can execute power. It’s difficult to point out a general master of principal because the power gets internalized by individuals.
Foucault gives the Panopticon (by Bentham) as example to prove this point: in this round prison the prisoners are always watched by the guard, while the prisoners can’t see eachother, only the guard. A power difference exists between the prisoners and the guard. After a while, even when the guard isn’t there, the prisoners always feels like they’re under surveillance. The prisoners internalized the guard and always acted as if they were being watched. The power becomes a invisible structure.
Because power is everywhere, one is never free of power. It is enclosed in all relationships.

Power isn’t always negative according to Foucault. It also makes things possible and doesn’t always have to work with restrictions and punishment. But Foucault asks himself the question: how can we respond to power is a responsive way?

Exercise of Power (According to Foucault)

Foucault analysed power in the context that it is characterized by the play of relations between individuals (or groups). Power, Foucault argues, is exercised not directly but when power acts upon the individuals or groups actions; therefore action upon action.

Foucault's concept highlights that the "exercise of power can produce as much acceptance as may be wished for." (Foucault, Subject and Power) Meaning it could have no impact upon some but significant impact upon the actions of others. This helps demonstrate that power is exercised over free subjects, ie, individuals or groups who are faced with numerous possibilities in how to behave or act. Foucault gives and example to help understand: slavery is not a power relationship when man is in chains. this is a physical relationship of constraint and there is no face to face confrontation of power and freedom which is mutually exclusive.

References:

Foucault, M. (1983). Beyond structuralism and hermeneutics. Second edition. The university of Chicago Press.

Hall, S. (2001). Foucault: Power, Knowledge and Discours. in Taylor, S., Wetherell, M. & Yates, S.J. (2001). Discourse Theory and Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Foucault, M. (1982). "The Subject and Power." in Foucault, M. (1983) Beyond Structuralism and Hermeneutics.