This thesis investigates the work of Michel Foucault (1926-1984), and particularly his <i>The History of Sexuality: An Introduction (THS,</i> 1981), within a feminist framework. It considers the usefulness of Foucault on both a general level and on the specific issue of incest. Incest has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences, but more recently its theorisation has been the preserve of feminism. In contrast with earlier sociological interest in the incest prohibition, feminism has relocated incest within the context of sexual violence. Exploring the relationship between the feminist analyses of incest and Foucault's arguments on power, sexuality and discourse, elaborates the subtleties of the feminist position. However, Foucault's work is also challenging to a feminist position, and as a result of the confrontation with his writings, a certain amount of rewriting of the feminist analysis is advocated. Although the passages in <i>THS</i> that refer to incest are few, incest is placed at a pivotal position in Foucault's schema. This thesis discusses the place Foucault accords incest, and uses his argument as a framework for thinking about the ways in which incest is spoken about and in a reconceptualisation of the place of 'the incest prohibition' in feminist analyses. The second half of the thesis moves to the field of law in an analysis of the parliamentary debates which have formulated the crime of incest in both English and Scots criminal law.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:641504 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Bell, Vikki H. |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/20015 |
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