skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I read this book for a class I am taking on sexuality this trimester. Pretty much the entire course is based around Foucault's conception of sexuality so although it's been a long time since I finished it (I am extremely behind on book reviews), I can remember the essence of his argument. Foucault's take on sexuality is in contrast to the one in vogue at the time - that is the repressive hypothesis, which expounded that 'natural' sexuality had been repressed and ignored by all levels of society, in particular the bourgeoisie. The social movements of the 1970s sprang out of this as an opposition to repression that was seen to be taking place. Foucault argues against this belief, indeed his argument is almost totally a social constructionist one. Rather than a repression of sexuality, Foucault saw quite the opposite; an explosion of discourse surrounding the topic of it, beginning in the Victorian age.
Foucault also puts forward in this volume that concept of bio-power. The juridical model of power assumes a hierarchy with those at the top of hierarchy as oppressing those beneath. Bio-power, by contrast involved a range of techniques aimed at controlling the body and populations. This power exists not just at the top, but rather is enabled at every level of society in what Foucault terms cycles of pleasure and power.
Foucault is the most cited social scientist ever. He has overtaken Marx, Freud and Weber in this accomplishment. He has become the beginning of a much larger move towards focusing on a constructed society and a less obvious model of power. There are many critiques people make of Foucault, many of them are fair critiques. I'm not writing for a journal so I'm not going to delve right into my criticisms of Foucault's novel.
I found this work surprisingly easy to read, after hearing people talk about his writing in the same words they talk about Max Weber's. It was a relief to be honest to be able to get through this book and actually understand what he was on about, which is often difficult with other authors. I would definitely be keen to read more Foucault, I just wish I wasn't so bogged down in assignments!
This amazing (if not a little dated, it was published in 1996) book is an excellent review and challenge of the tendency of criminology to be gender blind. It undertakes critical reviews of different feminist attitudes to the subject of crime and criminology and shows still prevalent attitudes of the subject of criminal law and how it is influenced by the male-dominated school of thought of criminology.
The author of this book is a Reader in Laws in Adelaide with lots of experience writing around the topics of criminal law and feminism. This book begins with a critical look at the history of criminological thought with its beginnings in criminological positivism followed by radical and then realist criminologies late in the 20th century. These viewpoints are all assessed both from the stance which they took and the absence or near-absence of gender in their theories and areas of research (with the obvious exception of the growth of feminist criminology). The book offers a critique in particular of the positivist introduction of the scientific method which has seen an increase in recent times with many major criminological journals (at the time of this book) only accepting massive empirical studies from apparently bipartisan, almost all male researchers. Naffine also looks at the significance of males researching males as the norm without looking at the culture of masculinity within their own research rather than as a norm (and thus females as a weird aside).
Following this is a significant discussion of Foucalt's influence on the little feminist criminology there is taken from his research on power and knowledge and the growth of Derridean feminist views which look at the very limits of language and culturally "appropriate" labelling theory. An interesting look into studies of rape as a male-perpetrated female-victimised stereotype is also looked at in depth and critically evaluated. The book ends with an analysis of a quicker growing enterprise - that of female fictional crime novels about females who incorporate and rise above the female stereotype as either females in high positions, as investigators or females who turn the very concept of gender on its head.
I found this book extremely interesting and it heightened my interest in the subject. For anyone interested in feminism, criminology or any other social science I would highly recommend this book. Despite the fact it was published over a decade ago, I think many of its points are still highly relevant.
This book was simply epic, following the life of Mira, a woman who grows up and experiences the second wave of the feminist movement firsthand. Mira grows up in the confines of her parents' expectations where she is expected to stay a virgin and marry well. Despite being an incredibly smart child, no one around her ever suggests that she go further with her education and it is simply expected she will become a housewife. Through her marriage she experiences no pleasure in sex, days filled with hard work taking care of children and cleaning the house; she is expected to have dinner on the table and the house spotless when her husband, and aspiring doctor comes home from work. Socially, in her working class neighbourhood there are friendships and relationships that remind me a bit of the TV show Desperate Housewives with affairs and secrets going on left, right and centre. One of her close friends also begins going to university which at the time she thinks is simply shocking but her viewpoint changes throughout the book.
The characters are one of the startling parts about this book. All the characters are portrayed in the book at different times in their lives with different evolving beliefs. Many of the characters' fates show how damaging and tiring the role of a housewife was when it was more prevalent back in the 1950s and 60s. Only when Mira's marriage breaks up and she decides to go to university and gets into Harvard does she meet the people who are part of the student movement for civil rights and gender equality. She also meets the man who sees pleasing her sexually as important, in stark contrast to her husband who never cared. Returning home to her parents' house she finds herself not able to explain her life as it would shock them (divorce has already made her the shame of the family). Her two children who visit her regularly also become important as they symbolise the new generation, much more accepting of her life. It is at this stage of the book that she becomes what she wants to be and who she wants to be, ignoring the people who will not support her.
It also showed some of the class that came to be known as 'radical feminism' and the events that leads one of Mira's best friends to distrust men totally. Throughout the book many of Mira's friends have their lives changed for the worst by reliance on and trust in men. This book is truly a work of its time. At times it has you laughing, and at other times crying and the characters are built up continually through their experiences and discussions as well as their secrets and discomforts. I absolutely loved this book, truly poignant and emotion provoking. Some have criticised it as being a bit too radical, but it wasn't just about bad men, there were also good men and it showed some of the reasoning behind the more radical facets of the movement.
Please, please read this book I can't recommend it enough. You will laugh, you will want to cry and it will open your eyes. I also recommend another of her books Our Father which is similarly sad and amazing.
