Michel Foucault: The Genealogy of Empowerment

Following the failures of the Enlightenment and the false hopes brought forth by modernity, society has experienced immense oppression and loss of autonomy. Although systems of power and domination are as present as ever, Michel Foucault, French philosopher, presents an argument whereby he investigates the ways in which power can be used in productive ways that shape experience and empowerment. This paper uses his conceptualization of power and his methods of genealogy to highlight the importance of knowledge when it comes to exercising power. In this way, our attention is turned away from the ways in which humans are made to be objects of domination, and towards the ways in which we are made subjects with the knowledge of how to restore this power. Through his analysis of disciplinary power, biopolitics and biopower, as well as sexuality, he outlines the ways in which individuals may use power to liberate themselves from the repressive system that is also produced by power