Foucault’s Work for the Analysis of Gender Relations: Theoretical Reviews

Abstract

Michel Foucault’s focus on power relationships has drawn political scientists, political philosophers,and feminists to his texts. His argument which analyses power and discourse takes political analysts beyondstate as the locus of power. In general, his work is important for feminist analyses, especially the threevolumeof historical account of sexuality, because it shares with feminists and intense and critical gaze atsexuality, ‘power and knowledge.’ However, Foucault’s politics of Western sexuality leaves female sexualityinvisible. To complete this historical account of sexuality requires feminist critiques which extend and alterthe analysis to include female sexuality. Thus, the question is not if, but how Foucault should be situated intocontemporary feminist theory. This paper examines four major criticisms that traditional feminists haveargued against Foucault’s understanding of theory-justification, power relations, collective politics, and genderneutrality. We argue that the first three criticisms are undiscovered, but offer an important set of political toolto feminism. For the gender neutrality criticism, we argue that Foucault’s neglect of gender difference in hishistory of sexuality falls short of feminist goals. Finally, feminists should approbate only the aspects ofFoucauldian philosophy that are conductive to gender analysis and move beyond Foucault’s androcentrism tocreate alternative histories of sexuality and opportunities for resistance.