17.
17th century ushered in a repressive approach to sexuality
Speaking of sex or engaging in “illegitimate sexualities” became much more costly
18.
New “institutional incitement” to speak about sex and document it
19.
This derives from Catholic confession- there becomes a more encompassing need for self-examination and to “confess” the sins of the flesh
21.
“An imperative was established: Not only will you confess to acts contravening the law, but you will seek to transform your desire, your every desire, into discourse.”
23.
Act of confession deliberately transforms desire into discourse, but also seeks to convert this desire from sin to virtue (through resistance).
Beginning of 18th century, a political, economic, technical need to discuss sex
24.
Sex was then considered not only in an ethical light, but also a scientific/rational one
Sexuality not only judged, but also carefully managed
25.
Idea of “population” emerged in the 18th century- statistical perspective of society, these numbers taken as indexes of wealth, power
26.
Population studies leads to state manipulation of reproduction in racialized, gendered ways
28.
During 18th century, even where sexuality was not formally addressed, norms were produced though micropolitics of regulation in institutional contexts
29.
There has been a multiplication of avenues for discourse in the modern era

3.
During the early 17th c, there was a “tolerant familiarity with the illicit”
With the ascendance of Victorian bourgeoisie, sexuality became confined
Procreative heterosexual couples became norm, sex viewed as utilitarian function
4.
“These are the characteristic features attributed to repression, which serve to distinguish it from the prohibitions maintained by penal law: repression operated as a sentence to disappear, but also as an injunction to silence, an affirmation of nonexistence…”
“Illegitimate sexualities” were only tolerated in confined contexts- brothel, mental institution
5.
“…if repression indeed has been the fundamental link between power, knowledge and sexuality since the classical age, it stands to reason that we will not be able to free ourselves from it except at a considerable cost: nothing less than a transgression of laws, a lifting of prohibitions, an irruption of speech, a reinstating of pleasure within reality, and a whole new economy in the mechanisms of power will be required”
We cannot end this repression solely through medicine or theoretical discourse
6.
The pursuit of pleasure is incompatible with rigorous work ethic
Since sex is repressed, the mere act of speaking about it can be viewed as a transgressive act
8.
Foucault calls into question whether the proliferation of discourse about sex meaningfully interrogates hegemonic power structures
9.
Our attitudes toward sexual transgression / liberation are contradictory- Foucault wants to know why do we speak so ostentatiously about sex being repressed?
10.
Three key doubts:
i. Is sexuality being repressed?
ii. Are prohibition and repression the principle means through which power is exerted?
iii. Does critical analysis centred on a repression (that may / not be present) produce repressive power structures?
11.
Objective is to define regime of power-knowledge-pleasure that sustains Western notions of sexuality
12.
Repression exists, but is not the basis of post/modern sexuality
Wants to move toward discursive production (which includes silencing) of the production of sexual power