Derrida and Foucault Post-Class

This week we discussed Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida. I think Derrida was very interesting, because he relates to many theorists we covered in the beginning of the semester. At first when I read his work I was confused, but after talking about him in class and learning how he relates to other theorists, he was a lot easier to understand. He talks about the ‘trace’, and how there is always a connection that can be made in language. He also explains how ideology is most powerful when we are not aware of the trace, which relates to Adorno and Horkheimer. He also discusses how his term ‘difference’ is saying there is nothing but differences and we are left with only differences, which relates to DeSaussure when he says, in language there are only differences. He also says, “The trace is not a presence but is rather the simulacra of a presence that dislocates, displaces and refers beyond itself”. I think this has to do with the trace eventually becoming distant from its original form. This quote could be connected to Baudrillard and Benjamin, because they both discuss how reproduction changes the original.

Foucault talks a lot about surveillance and the gaze. He states, “Our society is one not of spectacle, but of surveillance”. This relates to the gaze, because it is a form of surveillance. When you’re on surveillance, and also with the gaze, people have to behave in a certain way. This quote relates to Bourdieu, because of how we want to be under surveillance, because of our need to want to be on TV and watch reality TV. It interests us to watch a TV show that has people who are being closely watched, because we feel like everything is real and they are being themselves. It gives us a sense of ‘jouissance’ to be able to see everything going on. We talked in class about how Facebook is a perfect example of being under surveillance; we use it as entertainment and to communicate with friends, but in reality it is just a way for people to see what we are doing and to see various information about us. We know people look at our Facebook pages, but we don’t know who… which is actually kind of creepy if you think about it.

“On my honor I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work”