Course Description
Summary
There is a central guard tower that looks out over all the cells. Within the cells, the inmates are constantly observable. Brutal force becomes unnecessary. The inmates will control their own behavior, often without even realizing it. This is the modern way of power, according to Michel Foucault: furtive, efficient, diffuse, minute, and ubiquitous. In this course, we’ll undertake a philosophical investigation into the nature and workings of power. How is the social world shaped? How do language, knowledge, and power interact? What are the prospects for resistance? We will use the methods of philosophical analysis, argument, and close reading. Likely readings include work by: Hannah Arendt, Judith Butler, Franz Fanon, Michel Foucault, Ian Hacking, Saidiya Hartman, and Sylvia Wynter.
