Deconstruction of Power, Resistance and Subjectivity; a comparative analysis of Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor of Educational Science Department, University of Kurdistan. Iran

Abstract

This article aims to reassess the concepts of power, resistance, and subjectivity by examining the ideas of Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault. At first glance, it seems that these two thinkers, rooted in different philosophical and theoretical foundations, are in opposition to each other, making a dialogue between their perspectives seemingly impossible. However, this article proposes an alternative approach by highlighting the common grounds and commonalities in their deconstruction of power. Moreover, it argues that their political views can be seen as aligned and complementary, leading to a deepening and development of each other's ideas and the creation of new political approaches. Thus, the central questions addressed in this article are: what forms of agency emerge for the contemporary subject as result of the deconstruction of power in thought of Arendt and Foucault? How does power act as a source of resistance while opening up new possibilities for the subject? The main finding of this study is that, in contrast to traditional and modern interpretations, power in the works of these thinkers is seen as a positive, creative, and productive concept. Based on this understanding, resistance and alternative forms of empowerment for the subject emerge. It should be noted, however, that Arendt’s and Foucault’s interpretation of resistance agency and power may differ due to the primacy of political and social issues in their respective theories.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Allen, A. (2002). Power, Subjectivity, and Agency between Arendt and Foucault, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 10(2), 131–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672550210121432
Arendt, H. (1969). On Violence, Harvest/HBJ Book.
Arendt, H. (1998). The Human Condition, Chicago University Press.
Arendt, H. (1973). The Origins of Totalitarianism, Harcourt Brace & Company.
Arendt, H. (1978). The life of the Mind, Harcourt Inc.
Arendt, H. (2005). The Promise of Politics, edited & introduction by J. Kohn, Schocken.
Arendt, H. (2006). Between Past and Future- Eight Exercises in Political Thought. Penguin Books.
Arendt, H. (1954). Truths and Politics, in Between Past and Future: Eight Exercises in Political Thought. Penguin Books.
Arendt, H. (1978). The life of the Mind, Translated by M. Olia, Ghoghnoos [In Persian]
Arendt, H. (1998). The Human Condition, Translated by M. Olia, Ghoghnoos. [In Persian]
Arendt, H. (1973). The Origins of Totalitarianism, Translated by M. Salasi, Sales. [In Persian]
Arendt, H. (1982). Revolution, Translated by E. Fouladvand, Kharazmi. [In Persian]
Bernstein, R. (2011). Hannah Arendt’s Reflections on Violence and Power, Iris, No. III, pp. 3-30.
Dreyfus, H. & Rabinow, P. (1983). Michel Foucault: beyond structuralism and hermeneutics, Chicago University Press.
Digester, P. (1992). The Fourth Face of Power, Journal of Politics, 54(4), 977-1007.
Downing, L. (2008). The Cambridge Introduction to Michel Foucault, Cambridge University Press.
Foucault, M. (2005). The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France 1981-1982, edited by F. Gros, translated by G. Burchell. St Martin’s Press.
Foucault, M. (1979). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of a Prison, translated by A. Sheridan, Harmondsworth Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality: Vol.1- An Introduction, Pantheon Books.
Gill, D. (2011). Foucault, Translated by A. Jahandideh & N. Sarkhosh, Ney Publictions. [In Persian].
Karimi, B (2012). Ethical Embodied Subject: Foucault and Levinas, Journal of Philosophical Investigations, University of Tabriz, 14(33), 354-369. https://doi.org/10.22034/jpiut.2020.38892.2524 [In Persian].
Michel, F. (1980). Power and Strategies, in Power/Knowledge: Selected Inter- views & Other Writings, 1972–1977, edited by C. Gordon, Pantheon.
Gordon, N. (2002). On Visibility and Power: An Arendtian Corrective of Foucault, Human Studies, 25(2), 125-145.
Luke, S. (2005). Power: A Radical View. [Online, Available from: 6 December 2015], Palgrave Macmillan.
Negri, A. (1999). Insurgencies- Constituent Power and the Modern State, University of Minnesota Press.
Young-Burel, E. (2006). Why Arendt Matters, Yale University Press.
Wenman, M. (2005). Power, in I. Mackenzie (ed.) Political Concepts: a reader and guide. pp. 370-403, Edinburgh University Press.
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image
Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 17, Issue 44 - Serial Number 44
Articles
Volume 17, Issue 44 (Autumn 2023)
November 2023
Pages 677-694

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics