Discourse, Power, and the Subject

For Foucault, discourse is a materialization of something that is written or said. If interpretation can last a long time, as well as change repeatedly. While the groups of power establish that the truth is considered, Foucault argues that there is no absolute truth, but that knowledge is what a group of people shares and accepts as true. This truth, in turn, defines what is right and what is wrong, what is normal and what is abnormal.

Those that are considered normal have power over those considered abnormal. The discourse is based on the social practices of defining things by their opposite, for example, the discourse of madness (the bad), produced by experts is used in turn to define sanity (the good), that is to say that if an individual is not crazy, it must mean that he is sane.

Knowledge and power can not be separated. The definition of power that Foucault developed was influenced by the analysis of prisons, as an element of social discipline that later extrapolates to the social sciences in general. He considers that power is not possessed by only a group of people, but that it circulates and acquires a productive role.

Knowledge is freedom. We seek knowledge, and once we acquire it we are free. However, criticism is fundamental and necessary for any transformation. At this point, I believe that in the analysis of the policy that I will carry out in my research, I could use the concept of discourse. Each of the participating universities has its particular interpretation of the guidelines, creating its truth. Considering concepts such as successful university discourse and self-regulation can generate a deeper understanding of the implementation of policy in my country.