Hi Michel. Is this your workout?
Yes, sort of. I’m not happy with my arms. Feels
like they’re out of foam.
That’s why I exercise. I need to build my muscles, gain
some strength, power the body…
Power was one of your major topics, wasn’t
it?!
Not a terribly smooth transition, there…
I agree…
Well, but: true, it was one of my crucial
interests. And, yes, there is a connection
between “Power” and “exercising.”
What do you mean?
Well, without being exercised, there simply
is no power. But let me backtrack a little.
First of all, “by power, I do not mean »Power«
as a group of institutions and mechanisms
that ensure the subservience of the citizens
of a given state. By power, I do not mean, either,
a mode of subjugation which, in contrast
to violence, has the form of the rule.”
OK… So what’s your point?
I suggest that power should be understood
as – and I quote: “the multiplicity of
force relations immanent in the sphere in
which they operate and which constitute their
own organization, as the process which, through
ceaseless struggles and confrontations, transforms,
strengthens, or reverses them; as the support
which these force relations find in one another,
thus forming a chain or a system”
– end of quote. You see?
My primary interest is not in the political or sociological notion
of state power.
My focus is on power as an every day practice, and as such it is very
much tied to being exercised
– by you, by me, by everyone of us…
So according to you, power is more a relation
than a thing? It needs to be operated, activated,
and sustained, just like a muscle – if you
accept me coming back to this.
‘Cause I do see connections between physical education
and power relations…
There are some obvious links. In "Discipline
and Punish" I studied the practices by which
human bodies are turned into docile and useful
bodies, bodies that could be applied and controlled
in factories, armies, schools and similar
institutions.
In my perspective, the body is – and I quote again – “directly
involved in a political field; power relations
have an immediate hold upon it; they invest
it, mark it, train it, torture it, force it
to carry out tasks, to perform ceremonies,
to emit signs.”
I think we talked about this before, so let me be clear on this
point: “It is largely as a force of production
that the body is invested with relations of
power and domination; [...] the body becomes
a useful force only if it is both a productive
body and a subjected body“,
You’re alluding here to the conversation
we had about the fact that in "Discipline and
Punish" you sometimes refer to Marx…
Exactly. And I also told you that hardly anybody
was interested in this line of argument, so
I moved on to other things. This also had
an impact on my notion of power.
In the first volume of "History of Sexuality" I broadened
my understanding of disciplinary power into
something that I started to call “bio-power.”
The disciplines that trained and controlled
the body emerged in the 17th century. In contrast, bio-power is a more recent phenomenon.
It only surfaced in the late 18th century. However, both forms continue to exist, they are still with us today.
Now, the ultimate threat implied in the power regimes of early modern societies
was to kill their individuals. With the advent of new bio-power regimes in the late 18th century,
this changed significantly. The ultimate goal
of bio-power is to organize and manage life in an entire population.
And this, in turn, requires to get under the skin of the people, as it were. Bio-power needs to be exercised
through and in the bodies. Which brings us back to where we started,
since the desire to build your biceps can be seen as contributing
to the functioning of todays bio-power…
Really?! Then, let me see your biceps!
That’s none of your business. The crucial
point is that power is not simply repressive but acts through and by creating our bodies,
making them up, turning them inside out and transforming them into the body of society.
Then, why are you exercising with the dumbbell?
Well, as I said I don’t like the foam in
my arms… And I also keep wondering about
the notion of puppetpower. Perhaps an increase in puppet strength will be providing some clues…
I see… Good luck, then, and bye, bye….
