No / This paper analyses Foucault's notion of technologies of the self, but does so through a non-Foucauldian style of analysis. It traces the use of the term technology back to the works of Aristotle and elaborates upon this definition. Here, technology is seen to be central not only in the production of works, but also in the production of selves. This idea is then developed through the work of other thinkers who have a similar technological view of the production of the self, particularly Marcel Mauss and John Dewey. Another important element emerges from their works, which is the production of self through the technology of habit or habitus. It is argued that habitus is not a socially determinate concept, because it allows for the development of both practical and critical reason, both of which permit the agent some freedom in their activities. However, it is possible to use the connotation of habitus with routine to understand something of the nature of social power. The concept of capacity is also introduced to extend the self-reflexive and knowing aspect of habitus, showing how this is an essential feature of the agential self. However, it is argued that although the development of practical and critical reason allows for reflexivity, the self is always grounded in technologies of the body and self, which constitute the aspect of the self reflected upon. Reflexivity, then, is a secondary and partial aspect of the self.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andre Valente de Barros Barreto.pdf: 1153184 bytes, checksum: b9fc40969fba6d08e0b53c7ef814e51a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Considering the growing importance that the body is gaining in the contemporary world, our objective in this thesis is to question the relationship between body and power, subject that has thus far been scarcely explored from a political science point of view. For that, we will work predominantly with Michel Foucault s work, using systematic analysis of this outstanding author, pioneer in showing that the body is in the center of the relations of power. Despite bearing an important contribution to the subject, Foucault s work presents some problems, among which we point out embracing the concept of the body as excessively abstract. Echoing a difficult relationship that the human sciences have kept with the body in modern days, by either simply ignoring it or considering it only as a symbolic object, Foucault ultimately detaches the body from its biological traces; the body which, when assuming its materiality, does so under an exceedingly mechanicist perspective. We repute that this view of the body devitalizes the subject and weakens the very idea of resistance that the French philosopher sustains in his work, reason why we propose, through an interdisciplinary dialogue, the adoption of another view of the body. It is in the work of Wilhelm Reich, as well as in some contemporary biologists and neurobiologists, that we will find the elements to think of the body not as a mere compilation of inert, malleable parts, as proposed by biomedical knowledge, but as an especial materiality, alive and dynamic, which remits to a long evolutionary process, occupying a central spot in our so called superior life. Our hypothesis is that this living body, capable of contemplating both symbolic and social aspects, as well as biological and material aspects, can intensify Foucault s idea of resistance, making the work of composing the self more efficient in its task of elaborating internalized means, capable of eluding the modern mechanisms of power: the body as an important ally against the methods of domination / Tendo em vista a crescente importância que o corpo vem assumindo no mundo contemporâneo, nosso objetivo nesta tese é problematizar a relação entre corpo e poder, tema ainda pouco explorado do ponto de vista da ciência política. Para isto, por meio de uma leitura e análise sistemáticas, trabalharemos prioritariamente com a obra de Michel Foucault, autor que se destaca pelo pioneirismo em mostrar que o corpo está no centro das relações de poder. Não obstante represente uma importante contribuição para o assunto, a obra de Foucault apresenta alguns problemas, dentre os quais destacamos a adoção de uma concepção de corpo excessivamente abstrata. Ecoando a difícil relação que as ciências humanas têm mantido com o corpo na modernidade, seja simplesmente ignorando-o, seja considerando-o tão somente como objeto simbólico, Foucault termina por destituir o corpo de seus traços biológicos, corpo que, quando assume sua materialidade, o faz sob um prisma eminentemente mecanicista. Julgamos que esta noção de corpo desvitaliza o sujeito e enfraquece a própria idéia de resistência que o filósofo francês sustenta em seu trabalho, razão pela qual, propomos, por meio do diálogo interdisciplinar, a adoção de uma outra noção de corpo. É na obra de Wilhelm Reich, bem como de alguns biólogos e neurobiólogos contemporâneos, que vamos buscar os elementos para pensar o corpo não como um mero agregado de partes inertes e manipuláveis, como propõe o saber biomédico, mas como uma materialidade especial, viva e dinâmica, que remete a um longo processo evolutivo, e que ocupa um lugar central na nossa vida dita superior. Nossa hipótese é a de que este corpo vivo, capaz de contemplar tanto os aspectos simbólicos e sociais quanto os aspectos materiais e biológicos, pode potencializar a idéia de resistência em Foucault, tornando o trabalho de constituição de si mais eficiente em sua tarefa de elaborar modos de subjetivação capazes de escapar aos modernos mecanismos de poder: o corpo como importante aliado contra as formas de assujeitamento

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