Social norms and widely-held ideas are based on society-wide discursive formations
Power, Knowledge, and Resistance
"Pouvoir/savoir," or "power/knowledge"has a different connotation in French
"pouvoir" is more similar to "ability" or "can do"
"savoir is more similar to "know-how"
In this sense, society's "knowledge" is a framework in which one has the "power" to act
His idea of the "archaeology of knowledge"posited that people followed a subconscious set of rules, that these rules have changed over centuries, and that through his idea of "genealogy" these ideas can be shown to be formed from contingent events and not rationally inevitable trends
Resistance is any practice that does not line up with current knowledge, and appear downright nonsensical
Lifestyle as Resistance
Foucault experienced a lack of established savoir via homosexual relationships
With little or no preceding framework, Foucault saw these relationships as an example of manifested resistance
Critical Rhetorics
Timely discourses meant to alter the frameworks of current widely-held knowledge
Not meant to change minds, but to "transform the critique conducted in the form of necessary limitation into a practical critique that takes the form of possible transgression" out of which "new forms of community, co-existence, pleasure" will emerge.
Pleasure as Style and Persuasion
The power of pleasure can incite individuals to action
Foucault's "aesthetics of existence" can be seen as embodying stylistic rhetoric
Aristotelian examination of Foucault's rhetoric
Mostly logos: Foucault references a great deal of obscure works
Ethos: Foucault embodied his Resistance through sadomasochistic relationships and drug use