Biopower with a capital B
According to Michel Foucault, “biopower” emerged as the deployment of alliance and its complementary sovereign power over death (to allow or disallow life) shifted to the deployment of sexuality and accompanying power over life on the individual bodily level and on a larger population level (138-139). Foucault continues with that this power over life uses a vehicle for “political operations, economic interventions…and ideological campaigns” and for the purpose of The History of Sexuality, sexuality fits the bill as the means for biopower (146). As mentioned in my last post, I have been reading a number of pieces about beyond the gender binary. In a particular piece, “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough,” Anne Fausto-Sterling points out that biological sex has become a way to control life or enact biopower since the mid-20th century as more medical and biological knowledge about intersexuality and procedures to “correct” it emerged and became more widespread. After nodding with familiarity in coming upon Foucault in Fausto-Sterling’s piece, I am inclined to agree that biological sex has become a way to enact biopower with Cal’s narrative in Middlesex and the shift in the media’s presentations of Christine Jorgenson in David Harley Serlin’s piece in mind.
Fausto-Sterling defines this specific example of biopower as subjecting hermaphrodites to hormonal treatments and invasive surgeries, thanks to modern science and medicine, to match a particular sex category. These procedures are recommended shortly after their births to minimize “psychological pain” and thus, without any consent from the individual (Fausto-Sterling, 170). This train of thought is evident in Dr. Luce’s “Preliminary Study: Genetic XY (Male) Raised as Female,” hormonal treatment and cosmetic genital surgery were recommended for Calliope/Cal in order to prevent exposure of “all manner of humiliation” and give her/him a “happy life” (Eugenides, 437). It is also important to note that Calliope/Cal is not at any life-threatening risk caused by hermaphroditic development (ex. hormonal imbalance) and is more likely at the risk of losing sexual pleasure in undergoing such surgeries (Eugenides, 437).
As Fausto-Sterling points out, hermaphrodites have existed throughout history and across the globe, but procedures like hormonal treatments and genital constructive surgeries and knowledge about DNA and sex chromosomes are of the 20th century and present. Therefore, the argument that a person growing up without a determined sex (i.e. not having the “correct” parts be aligned with a sex category) is prone to psychological distress is extremely questionable. In short, if hermaphrodites could get on with their lives without any hormonal treatment or invasive surgeries for centuries, why do they have to now? Aside from these procedures being helpful for some life-threatening conditions due to hermaphroditic development (ex. hormonal imbalance, etc.), there is few and contradicting empirical research for hermaphrodites to need such medical care to lead happy sane lives.
Fausto-Sterling argues that the purpose of such biopower is to invest in maintaining cultural distinctions between the two sexes in Western society in a particular historical moment in which intersexuality and sexual ambiguity became medicalized. The media’s handling of Christine Jorgensen provides some historical context ofAmericain the 1950’s.Americahas just come out of the Second World War and women are forced to leave jobs and privileges gained during the war to make way for returning G.I.’s. The American Dream in the form of a breadwinner husband, homemaker wife living in the suburbs and leading lives marked by consumption of new products emerges. Georges’ transformation to Christine was initially met positively since George fit in the American glorified tale of a G.I. returning home and that Christine plays up the hyper feminized version of an American woman: “a beautiful blonde with silken hair” and the “best body of any girl” (Serlin, 387-388). However, Jorgenson is “outed” by the media later when it is discovered that Jorgenson does not have the “correct” or “complete” parts to qualify as a “real” woman since there is no place for ambiguity in a society invested in a gender binary.
*Sorry for the late post, has been feeling under the weather recently…
Tags: Ambiguity, Complexity, Foucault, hermaphrodite, Middlesex, Power, Scientific
