Foucault's focus on the first readings is mainly on the use and purpose of discourse. He describes a discursive practice as the "delimitation of a field of objects", and as a "definition of a perspective of knowledge". In my words, in order to produce a discourse one must first define the area of notions, or more simply a subject, to base the discourse on. There is always a certain perspective tied to it as well. He believes that the will to knowledge is always in the process of transformation, and it is always linked to specific circumstances. The same discourse can change sides, as it is, like knowledge itself, polymorphous. Knowledge and truth are the foundations of institutions. Knowledge and power are related, and discourse is intrinsic of power relations. Anyone can appropriate a discourse, it is not tied to the subject.
In"discourse on language" Foucault specifies that discourse relies heavily on rules of exclusion, we are not free to say anything. We rely on institutions in our society, because they are based on the will to truth, and on our cultural system. In this reading he also mentions man's fear of breaking barriers of discourse. There are many taboos, thresholds, and limits, that man fears because putting these "unmentionable" aspects into discourse would cause a disorderly activity.
In "History of Sexuality", he talks specifically about the censorship and confinement of the subject of sexuality. He finds that today's society is very repressive towards sex. He says the only places that deal with it in a tolerant way are the brothel and the mental hospital. He also relates such repression with the need to put it into discourse. We have created a will to knowledge known as a science of sexuality, or scientia sexualis. In the third chapter of History of Sexuality, called Scientia Sexualis, he divides man's approach towards sex in two spheres. The first one, which he relates to the societies in China, Japan, Rome, India, and the Arabo-Moslem, is called ars erotica. In ars erotica, truth is drawn from the pleasure itself, therefore the knowledge of it must be deflected back to the practice of sex. The knowledge of it must remain secret. In our society, scientia sexualis is the dominant practice. It relies on confession, as the main practice for producing truth. Confession frees us, because by sharing the truth, with a friend, or a doctor, or therapist, we can break those bonds of constriction and censorship. Confession is considered scientific, medicinal, and a rational way of dealing with those subjects that are considered obscure, such as sex.
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Hi Chiara,
You might have become aware since this post that Foucault challenges the idea that we are sexually repressed, as well as the idea that confession is a form of treatment of repression. These are, as you explain well in the first half of the post, bits of "common knowledge" that in fact express a particularly modern relationship between knowledge and power. Good outline of the "discourse on language".
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