
Self-Transformations
Foucault, Ethics, and Normalized Bodies
Cressida J. Heyes(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 23. August 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-19-531054-2 (ISBN)
Description
Heyes' monograph in feminist philosophy is on the connection between the idea of "normalization"--which per Foucault is a mode or force of control that homogenizes a population--and the gendered body. Drawing on Foucault and Wittgenstein, she argues that the predominant picture of the self--a picture that presupposes an "inner" core of the self that is expressed, accurately or not, by the outer body--obscures the connection between contemporary discourses and practices of self-transformation and the forces of normalization. In other words, pictures of the self can hold us captive when they are being read from the outer self--the body--rather than the inner self, and we can express our inner self by working on our outer body to conform. Articulating this idea with a mix of the theoretical and the practical, she looks at case studies involving transgender people, weight-loss dieting, and cosmetic surgery. Her concluding chapters look at the difficult issue of how to distinguish non-normalizing practices of the self from normalizing ones, and makes suggestions about how feminists might conceive of subjects as embodied and enmeshed in power relations yet also capable of self-transformation.
The subject of normalization and its relationship to sex/gender is a major one in feminist theory; Heyes' book is unique in her masterful use of Foucault; its clarity, and its sophisticated mix of the theoretical and the anecdotal. It will appeal to feminist philosophers and theorists.
The subject of normalization and its relationship to sex/gender is a major one in feminist theory; Heyes' book is unique in her masterful use of Foucault; its clarity, and its sophisticated mix of the theoretical and the anecdotal. It will appeal to feminist philosophers and theorists.
Reviews / Votes
Cressida Heyes has produced a book that should be of great value to Foucault specialists as well as to feminist readers not well acquainted with Foucault. It is accessible and brief enough for undergraduate students, but original and compelling enough to hold the interest and perhaps spark the imaginations of professional philosophers and social theorists. This book deserves a place in every library. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
270 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-531054-2 (9780195310542)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2007
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€30.49
Available for download

E-Book
08/2007
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€23.99
Available for download
Person
Author
Associate Professor of PhilosophyAssociate Professor of Philosophy, University of Alberta
Content
CONCLUSION: LIFE STYLE? ; NOTES ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX