Article Summary, Essay Example

The article is meant to be a “fleshing out” of Foucault’s theories on the history of sexuality and gender. In his literature review the author mainly focuses on the work of Foucault and Judith Butler. Foucault uses the term “bipower” to describe methods of control over the physical body. Sexuality has always existed in different forms but especially in the Victorian era sex was seen as primarily a reproductive function and not expressed or discussed openly. In this way social norms exerted a kind of power over people’s sexualities that stifled sexual definitions. Whenever there is power, he argues, there will also be resistance. Resistance obviously did occur with the free love movements of the 1960s and 1970s but Foucault warns that we are still in many ways under the influence of the bipower of the Victorian mindset and must be careful not to stifle the different historical strains of sexuality that are continually cropping up. Judith Butler says the way to do this is by avoiding another essentialization of sexuality (i.e. very set gender norms, sexual definitions of being gay, straight etc):

Current movements of sexual liberation must not essentialize their own liberation, in order to avoid falling within the same parameters of political discourse that engendered the limiting and enclosure of sexuality, as Butler convincingly argues in her conception of “queer theory.”

In his final section the author offers his own insight into these theories. He (or she?) agrees in the importance of non-essentialization but says that theory does not always manifest itself well in political practice. In other words if the ultimate goal is to secure protection from discrimination and repression than it is necessary to have some sort of coherent definition for your movement (i.e. gay rights, women’s rights). Even this, however, does not ensure change. For example, we are now very aware of the patriarchal nature of our society and that there should be more equality between men and women but that does not mean that things are changing. This is due to the fact that just as sexuality and gender seek to influence politics to avoid repression so politics seeks to influence sexuality for its own benefits.