Document Type
Panel Presentation
Start Date
18-4-2019 9:15 AM
End Date
18-4-2019 10:30 AM
Keywords
Foucault, power, BDSM
Biography
My name is Seth Workman and I am in my senior year of my psychology bachelors degree with 3 minors in sexuality studies, philosophy, and addiction studies. I'm pursuing psychology and these minors because I was to be as best equipped as I can to provide help to people in therapy which is what I intend to pursue as a career. I simply want to become the person I needed and didn't have so hopefully others will not have to go through what I have.
Major
Psychology
Advisor for this project
Dr. Jeffrey Powell
Abstract
My primary focus while writing this paper will be on the abstraction of BDSM power relationships, as constituted by agreements, to analyze power relationships as presented by Foucault. Doing so through usage of Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, onto Foucault’s description of power, specifically sovereign power, and governmentality, and multiplicity. This abstraction will establish BDSM as the prime foundation of power relationships, as it possesses qualities of power that are impossible in other power relationships. Foucault himself was involved in BDSM(bondage, domination and sadomasochism), to a degree I do not personally know but I intend to incorporate some of his personal experiences and his identity as a gay man into my argument. Through this I make a claim of “generational multiplicity” to further explain Foucault's power structures, using gay men as an example of this phenomena.
Power relations viewed through BDSM.
My primary focus while writing this paper will be on the abstraction of BDSM power relationships, as constituted by agreements, to analyze power relationships as presented by Foucault. Doing so through usage of Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, onto Foucault’s description of power, specifically sovereign power, and governmentality, and multiplicity. This abstraction will establish BDSM as the prime foundation of power relationships, as it possesses qualities of power that are impossible in other power relationships. Foucault himself was involved in BDSM(bondage, domination and sadomasochism), to a degree I do not personally know but I intend to incorporate some of his personal experiences and his identity as a gay man into my argument. Through this I make a claim of “generational multiplicity” to further explain Foucault's power structures, using gay men as an example of this phenomena.
