Jurisprudence

ü   Theories:

1.             Power as cultural hegemony

2.             Why there was no communist revolution in Europe (even until now no communist government has achieved political power in Western Europe compared to socialist government)

ü   Said that ideological hegemony (leadership/dominance by one country/several groups over others) is like a mythical creature half horse half human. Meaning the back part is raw power and the front is coercion and force. As example: a human face capitalist power through consent such as rule of law.

ü   Example the incident in Russia to overthrow the Tzars, there was only element of force and consent of human face is missing that is why the communist revolution there succeeded

ü   Illusion of consent creates the impression that the interest of the working class is the same as the capitalist

ü   Belief systems gain power as more people come to accept the particular view associated with belief system as common knowledge

ü   Through this belief, common knowledge power is exercised by person with authority such as doctors, priests and what not and showing a standard right + wrong behavior. The idea crystalizes

ü   Through knowledge, power is assumed to it forms a particular way of seeing the world and the particular way of life associated with such truths becomes normalized

ü   Alvin Toffler: power is exercised (historically) through violence à then through wealth à to knowledge à to technology. But it can be positive transformative as well

-                 Believes in covert/subtle power rather than over power which works through people rather than on them

-                 Directly/indirectly applied his theory of power to dissect about madness, prison & punishments and sexuality

-                 Author of ‘Madness and Civilization”, “Discipline and Punish”

Foucault Discourse on Madness:

-            Asylum acts as a social contract and as a form of exercising power given to the doctors in charge. Hence doctor is not only the medical specialist but also a wise man since he has the knowledge as control of power (this is the link between power and knowledge)