The History Of Sexuality, Volume 1, By Michel Foucault

In Part V of The History of Sexuality, Volume 1, Michel Foucault documents the historical shift from a sovereign power concentrated in death to a normalized, institutionalized regulation of life focused in part on the control of sexuality. He argues that this movement marks not only a reconceptualization of the living subject as a valuable source of both labor and production but also a new political interest in sex as a site of surveillance, classification, and management. Individuals in the contemporary social order define themselves and are defined through their relation to sex and sexuality, so while sex might feel â€Å"taboo† and thus appear to subvert social control, it in fact operates within a hegemonic system of meaning and thus†¦show more content†¦Sex, then, represents a significant locus of power because: â€Å"It fitted in both categories at once, giving rise to infinitesimal surveillances, permanent controls, extremely meticulous orderings of space, indeterminate medical or psychological examinations, to an entire micro-power concerned with the body. But it gave rise as well to comprehensive measures, statistical assessments, and interventions aimed at the entire social body or at groups taken as a whole. Sex was a means of access both to the life of the body and the life of the species.† (146) The movement from â€Å"a symbolic of blood to an analytics of sexuality† (148)—from a power concentrated in death to one concentrated in life—resulted in an increased concern with naming and documenting individual presentations of sexuality, in part because sex provided, and continues to provide, a way to access both the life of an individual and the life of a population. In contemporary society, power operates not only through the surveillance and categorization of sexualities, but also through a valorization of the act of sex as a key component to identity formation. Though Western culture often conceives of sex as â€Å"natural,† and thus divorced from the politics of power, Foucault argues that â€Å"sex is the most speculative, most ideal, and most internal element in a deployment of sexuality organized by power† (155). 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A Nobody free essay sample

My mother once told me, â€Å"Those who change the world have a story to tell.† At the time I didnt understand what she meant, but as I got older, I became curious to know. As I wandered through a moral wilderness, I began to question the role of leaders, searching for my purpose in life and looking for education. Unfortunately, war, shame, and neglect have been my teachers. I was two years old when rebels started a war in my country, the  ­Democratic Republic of the Congo. Women were raped. Children were forced to join the army. Some of them were mutilated or forced to kill their parents. The situation was so bad that my mother sold everything she had to get us out of Congo. She was determined to keep us safe and give us a better life. Unfortunately, she never lived to see that happen. When I was eight, she died a helpless and pitiful death; all she needed was $5 for a blood transfusion. We will write a custom essay sample on A Nobody or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lying in her casket wearing her wedding dress, her face seemed riddled with sadness and disappointment. She was silently talking to me, but I couldnt hear. The full impact of her death did not hit me until my siblings and I had to stop attending school because we could not pay the fees. Sometimes my third-grade teacher, Mr. Thomas, would invite me into his class to learn calligraphy. On my third visit, when he asked the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, the answers were mostly doctor, lawyer, etc. Then he said, â€Å"What about you, Naomie?† My heart dropped; I honestly  ­didnt know. Hesitantly, I looked at him and said, â€Å"I want to change the world.† â€Å"Change the world?† said one of the students. â€Å"Naomie, youre a nobody.† The class responded with synchronized laughter. How do you begin to tell yourself youre a â€Å"nobody†? Society had labeled me a failure, so my mind became my escape into a moral wilderness where I could roam and be whomever I wanted to be. At 12, I traveled to South Africa, where I was finally able to attend school again. But my dream to be educated turned into a nightmare. I was placed in kindergarten to learn my ABCs and numbers. It took me five minutes to copy two words, and I couldnt speak English. These struggles were further exacerbated by the xenophobia and racism in South Africa. When I moved to my new class, the students made fun of my last name and threatened to kill me. I felt humiliated and angry, but I had a goal, and I would not give up. One summer morning, we got a call from my dad in America. Our application for immigration had finally been approved! After 14 painful years of separation, I was reunited with my father. In America everything was new. I struggled in my classes. It took me tremendous effort and dedication to catch up. Now I am proud to say I am in the top 10 percent of my graduating class. All I needed was an opportunity and some guidance. I know I am not the first or the last person to face tremendous obstacles, but I am glad because my tragedy is also my salvation and success. It has transformed me into a relentless and mature woman. Now I can hear my mom talking to me from the grave, and I realize I was never a nobody, but rather a girl with a story to tell.