MAIS 658

Genealogy

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Definition:

Genealogy traces how ideas, systems, and practices have developed over time. Instead of following a straightforward timeline, it reveals the shifts, disruptions, and power struggles that shape what we see as normal. It focuses not on predetermined outcomes but on how unpredictable events and power relations shape societal norms.

Citations

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, pp. 51-52, 54.

• Michel Foucault (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (2022b, August 5). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/foucault/#ArchGene

 

My Understanding:
Genealogy is less about linear connections and more about exploring how history is non-linear and a little messy and interconnected. It’s like a family tree, but instead of clean branches, it’s full of twists, turns, and chaotic squiggles that show how ideas and power evolve.

I understand genealogy as a way to look at how societal norms, like beauty standards, have changed over time. For example, in the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe, was considered the ideal woman with her size 14 figure. This standard celebrated curvier body types (Jessica, 2024)

Over time, according to Hiskey (2014) beauty standards shifted toward thinner figures, influenced by industries like fashion, advertising, and media, which promoted smaller body sizes as more desirable. This change reflects how power dynamics, like those in marketing and consumer culture, shape what society sees as beautiful (Hiskey, 2014). These examples show that beauty standards are not natural but constructed to serve cultural and economic agendas.

 

​Abnormal (Its Three Figures)

Definition:
The term abnormal comes from Foucault’s idea of three figures: the monster, the person who needs fixing, and the masturbator. These figures show how society labels and excludes people who don’t fit its rules. The idea of abnormal is important in understanding how power works to control and manage people.

Citations:

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, p. 28

• Harcourt, B. (2015, November 8). Foucault 5/13: Introducing *Abnormal* (1974-1975) – Foucault 13/13. https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/foucault1313/2015/11/08/5-13-introduction/

 

My Understanding:
I understand the idea of abnormal as a way society defines certain people or behaviours as outside what is acceptable. The concept is represented by three figures.

The first figure, The Monster, represents differences that society sees as unnatural. In the 1900s people with visible disabilities were labelled as monstrous and were excluded from society, often forced into institutions (Adl, 2024).  The movie, The Greatest Showman highlights this perfectly by portraying how individuals with physical differences were both exploited and marginalized (Roberts, 2019).

The second figure, The Person Needing Fixing, represents those society views as needing to change to fit in. Today, trans people are often portrayed this way, with societal pressures suggesting they need to conform to what’s considered normal (being either male or female).

The third figure, The Masturbator, symbolizes moral deviance that’s judged as wrong. For instance, society once heavily stigmatized masturbation, calling it harmful and shameful (Grant, 2021). Although masturbation is now recognized as normal and is less stigmatized, we can still see the lingering effects of that judgment today. For example, shame around sexuality still persists in some cultural contexts.

These three figures show how society uses fear and judgment to enforce conformity and exclude people who don’t fit within societal norms.

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Biopower/Biopolitical

Definition:
Biopolitics is the idea that politics focuses on managing life and populations.  The purpose would be to make sure people live longer, or live healthier lives. Biopower is how this is put into action, representing a shift in how power works. Biopower aims to actively improve and regulate life by influencing health, behaviour, and society. Biopolitics is the why and biopower is the how.

Citations:

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, p. 13, 53

• Adams, R. (2024b, September 22). Michel Foucault: Biopolitics and Biopower. Critical Legal Thinking. https://criticallegalthinking.com/2017/05/10/michel-foucault-biopolitics-biopower/

 

My Understanding:
I understand biopolitics as a form of governing that focuses on managing life and populations, focusing on areas like health, reproduction, and social structure. Biopower is the actual strategies and methods used to achieve the biopolitics. For example, governments use public health campaigns or control over reproductive rights as part of their biopolitical strategies (tools of biopower) (Bujph, 2021).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures like vaccine mandates demonstrated biopower as they were tools used to implement biopolitical goals, which focused on protecting the population’s health and ensuring society’s well-being. (COVID-19 Vaccines | Public Health Ontario, n.d.).

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Normalization

Definition:
Normalization is the process of creating standards for how people should act, look, or identify. These standards are then used to evaluate and control individuals and groups, shaping what is seen as acceptable or not. Normalization regulates, differentiates and excludes individuals in order to homogenize a population.

Citations:

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, p.  51

• Krzyżanowski, M. (2020). Normalization and the discursive construction of “new” norms and “new” normality: discourse in the paradoxes of populism and neoliberalism. Social Semiotics, 30(4), 431–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2020.1766193

• Davis, Lennard J. “Chapter 2: Constructing Normalcy.” Enforcing Normalcy: Disability, Deafness, and the Body, Verso, 1995, pp. 23–49. ACLS Humanities E-Books.

 

My Understanding:
Normalization, as I understand it today, has roots in the 1800s when mathematicians like Quetelet developed the concept of the average to study human populations. This idea of the average became the standard against which deviations were measured, embedding normalization into societal structures (Davis, 1995, p. 28).

For example, in education, standardized testing labels students who learn differently as not normal, favouring certain learning styles while ignoring others (Standardized Testing: Fair or Not? | University of Lethbridge, n.d.).  This approach priorities quantitative measures, but disregards all other learning styles.  In MAIS 601 (Fall 2024), we discussed how systems of power establish these norms, shaping definitions (of normal) in ways that unfairly impact people with diverse abilities or backgrounds.

Foucault describes normalization as a way to control people by defining a standard of normal and punishing deviations from it (Disability Studies Quarterly, n.d.). Requiring business casual attire in the workplace is another example.  It sets a standard for how employees should dress, and those who deviate, like wearing jogging pants, may be judged or seen as unprofessional. This shows how normalization works by defining acceptable behaviour and creating pressure to conform, often through social judgment.

While normalization can create a sense of order, it also reinforces inequality by marginalizing those who do not fit the defined standard, reinforcing the power of those who set the norms.

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Discipline (Function Over Product)

Definition:
Discipline is a way of using power to organize people’s actions and behaviours to maintain order and efficiency. It focuses more on how control is carried out than on the final result. These systems shape individuals to be obedient and to fit into what society needs. This can include various mechanisms of control that can be used in society so that all functions smoothly.

Citations:

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, pp.46-47

• Young, S. M. (2024, September 22). Michel Foucault: Discipline. Critical Legal Thinking. https://criticallegalthinking.com/2019/02/26/michel-foucault-discipline/

 

My Understanding:
Discipline shapes people by using tools like routines, observation, and performance tracking. For example, workplaces often use performance reviews and productivity goals to monitor employees, encouraging them to follow rules and meet expectations without needing strict punishments (Kantor et al., 2023). This is an example of how discipline can be subtle, driven by reinforcement, as I often find myself striving to prove my worth through these systems.

Another example is the jail system, where inmates are under constant surveillance and must follow strict schedules.  Their behaviour is shaped through constant and continuous observation with the goal of reshaping them to be better in society when they are released.

 

Sovereign/Juridical Power

Definition:
Sovereign and juridical power are traditional types of authority where rulers maintain (and enforce) control through laws and punishments (including the power to decide who lives or dies). This type of power is direct, relying on actions like creating laws or enforcing punishments to assert dominance and maintain order. Sovereign power is mainly about demonstrating authority through decisions of life-or-death. Sovereign power represents the ‘who’ and juridical power represents the ‘how’.

Citations:

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, p. 13, 49

• Adams, R. (2024, September 22). Michel Foucault: Biopolitics and Biopower. Critical Legal Thinking. https://criticallegalthinking.com/2017/05/10/michel-foucault-biopolitics-biopower/

 

My Understanding:
An example of sovereign power in today’s society is the authority to enforce the death penalty in countries where it is legal, as it reflects the ultimate power to decide life and death matters. This authority originates from the government, which establishes the laws allowing the death penalty.

Similarly, juridical power is the legal system’s ability (through courts or juries) to sentence someone to life in prison. These actions are less about improving life or benefitting the community and more about asserting control, even if subtly. For example, a jury may seem to hold significant power in deciding an individual’s fate, but their decisions must align with the laws set by the government, showing how their role is part of a larger system.

 

Race War Discourse

Definition:
Race war discourse views history and society as an ongoing struggle between groups. It uses the idea of war to justify one group controlling or oppressing another. In this context, race does not refer to biology but instead encompasses cultural, social or historical differences that divide people.

Citations:

• McWhorter, L (2009). Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America: A Genealogy. Indiana University Press, pp.57-60

• McWhorter, L. (2010) "Racism and Biopower." In On Race and Racism in America: Confessions in Philosophy, edited by Roy Martinez,

55-85. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press

 

My Understanding:
Race war discourse was originally created by oppressed groups to describe their struggle against those in power as it highlighted unfair treatment and inequality. Those in power began using the same idea and it turned into a powerful way to divide people into 'us' versus 'them,' fueling conflict and justifying control based on cultural, historical, political, or other differences. What started as a way to fight against injustice turned into a tool for those in power to maintain control, using fear to their advantage. This shows how ideas can change over time and be used in ways that harm rather than help.

For example, during colonization, Indigenous people were labeled savages to dehumanize them, providing justification for taking their land and erasing their culture (Mackay & Feagin, 2022).  This framing of being uncivilized (savage), reinforced the us vs them mentality, making it easier to maintain power over Indigenous populations.

Another example is the argument that immigrants are taking jobs and harming the poor. This narrative plays on economic insecurities, creating fear and division to justify stricter immigration laws (Nowrasteh, 2018). By framing immigrants as a threat, these claims reinforce exclusion and control, even though they are unfounded.