Ritið : tímarit Hugvísindastofnunar - 01.10.2013, Page 69

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A B S T R A C T
Can the Game be Evenly Played?
On Equality on the Basis of Foucault’s Analysis of Power
in this paper, Michel Foucault’s analysis of power, especially his emphasis on power
as relations, will be the basis of an analysis of the concept of equality. By looking at
the history of ideas of feminist theory, equality is often contrasted with the concept
of difference, but the concept of equality gains its importance as one of the main
concepts of political liberal theory where it is tightly articulated with the system of
laws. According to Foucault, subjects misrecognize power as putting limits on their
life while power is the very element that produces them as subjects and constructs
their lives. The dominant form of power in western societies is bio-power. This
subject-formation produces multiple forms of inequalities, which it subsequently
hides. in the spirit of Foucault, i suggest new forms of subjectivity, taking resistance
as a starting point and seeing equality as an inherent element of all kinds of power
relations. This is actually impossible as, according to Foucault, the outcome of a
particular power relation can never be equal. Rather than dismissing equality on
that basis, i think there can be a use for the utopian element of equality as it makes
one aware of the possibility of the new – whether it will be new forms of power
relations, equality or discrimination.
Keywords: Equality, power, subject, Foucault, feminism