Who has the power?
I think it is important to point out the seemingly intrinsic differences between Western and Eastern attitudes towards sex. Truly, both are tied to power relations however this manifests differently in both hemispheres. Foucault mentions ars erotica as opposed to scientia sexualis that is centered on confession and discourse of sex. I was thinking of ancient Chinese traditions surrounding sex that seem to take a much more practical view of it in my opinion. This is exemplified by the books written by Mantak Chia (Healing Love Through the Tao: Cultivating Female Sexual Energy; Healing Love Through the Tao: Cultivating Male Sexual Energy…) that give textbook style definitions and instructions on how to use sex as a way to increase health and life force. This sort of power is more focused on inner mastery. Our culture and traditions have somehow externalized sex. Power is gained through defining passion, pinpointing it so that it can be diagnosed or modified. Sex develops a new secret language and who can speak about it and how explicit they can be is carefully controlled. So in both Eastern and Western philosophy there is an effort to control sex and somehow harness its power but the methods of going about this are worlds apart from each other.
I kept thinking about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as I was reading this. I was actually a part of this play in high school and Ken Kesey wrote it as a commentary on society. The analogy of the mental institution can be applied to many things, including the institutionalization of sex. Two characters from the play pop out. There is McMurphy who is driven to insanity because the institution tells him he is so. There is also Billy Bibbit who has a stutter and his only real mental problem is lack of self-confidence. Near the end of the film he loses his virginity and he is so proud of himself. Nurse Ratched tears down his pride and Billy Bibbit, ashamed, kills himself. Nurse Ratched is the character in power here and by putting Billy down she is asserting it.
In a society where a discourse about sex is being developed, anyone and everyone is going to be scrutinized and disseminated. The ones in power in this society are the ones who have the authority to categorize sexuality and prescribe cures for so-called “taboos”. Foucalt mentions the church and the power of confession. It was a place where people could be open but also inevitably tied and dependent on. It was both a place to purify and a prison. The church was able to make itself a sanctuary and so monopolized, along with the medical field all that surrounded sexuality. Another element of this is that when one purges them of guilt from sexual acts or thoughts, they are free to do it again. In a way we placed the responsibility for our actions in the hands of the church or a doctor. Now we are at a time where we need to take responsibility for our own sexuality and thus take the power into our own hands.
– Alannah Fehrenbach
Tags: church, Foucault, one flew over the cuckoo's nest, Power, taoism
February 4th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Hi Alannah,
For class, I’d like for you to present the issue of Ars Erotica versus Scientia Sexualis and to so by taking us to that section of the text, read the key parts out loud and explain them as you understand them and then everyone can join in the discussion of those key concepts. That way, your example of the Healing Love texts can be further discussed in relation to Foucault’s argument. This is a good first post but I do want more direct engagements with the readings each week; a single example will work best in this regard so that you can analyze it more thoroughly in light of the assigned reading.