Analysis of Articles about Gender Studies - Essay Example

Summary of Jana Sawicki "Disciplining Mothers: Feminism and the New Reproductive Technology" in Disciplining Foucault: Feminism, Power and the Body Routledge, London, 1991.The author highlights that Foucault though brings out the biopower concept of the feminine species, he does not bring out the advantages or disadvantages of the feminine body later in his writings (p 68). Nor does he acknowledge that. According to the author, the history of the women's body was more strongly written by other feminist writers rather than by Foucault himself.

"It is best to facilitate ways to make the oppressed speak for themselves". (p 68). She also concurs with the ideas expressed by the various feminist writers in particular, Corea and other radical feminists who according to her and have clearly pointed out the dangers in the new reproductive methods. These methods could strongly disturb the biopower that the women enjoy today without any coercion or force (p72).According to the author, Foucault's view of reproduction being a major element in the capitalistic views of the world is not the right perception of the women's need to reproduce.

Neither is it right to control the reproductive methods adopted by the women. It should be left to the choice of the women and only the biopower of which Foucault talks of will be present. Lest the biopower will diminish with the capitalist out look that the society might have. The state power and the government sponsored or brought about by technologies, the author feels need not necessarily be anti to the women (p70-73). There can be a resistance to technology but it should be selective says the author (p85).

The questions that could come about are: Need is considered the father of inventions. Only if women want these technologies on reproductive control or assistance will there is a development currently as well as in future. Why would technologies concerned grow if there is no patronising from the women The reproductive changes would possibly aid the women but why would they reduce the biopower of the women This would more be a question of exercising as Foucault says rather than a question of existing.

Why and when the women would exercise the biopower and how do they tap it particularly with the help of statutory supports that is provided to them by the government.Alice Kirkman "And here's one we prepared earlierthe biotech baby fourteen years on" in Sperm Wars: the Rights and Wrongs of Reproduction, Ed Heather Grace Jones and Maggie Kirkman, ABC Books Sydney, 2005, 181-184.The author brings out that there is no major issue in having a baby in a manner that is not normal. In the case of the author, the father was genetically different, the mother while biologically provided the egg was not the gestated one.

As the author says, she was surprised when the journalists asked her how she found it to have two mothers. She told them she always thought she had three. And that showed the extended family that the author seems to enjoy. For every person who is a part of the extended family, the author and her growth was more important than anything else. This made every thing else immaterial. As the author points out, the pre-conceiving arrangement that the mothers went through ensured that the differences in their thought processes will not occur.

There was enough leeway created between all of them and freedom to change their decisions. So much so that no one altered any of the decisions that was made.This made the entire process of bringing up the kid more interesting to the extended family. She was no ordinary child and what ever happened to every one of them was not an ordinary event. The author finally, justifies that the ideas and the opinions taken should be done so in the right spirit and this would ensure that the biotechnological advances made are used in the right spirit.

There was nothing wrong or unnatural in the entire process. She does not feel in any way different from the others and neither did any one else feel that way though many thought she was special.The questions will be: Creation of a human being either by cloning or by IVF methods is out of nature. Will this not give rise to a culture that has least respect for natural phenomenon And will not this lead to a condition where human race might over populate or try to control nature which otherwise could condition the environment in a much better way While so, how can controlling and modifying natural occurrences influence the behaviour of human race All these issues are not really dealt with by the author.

When the perspective goes larger those questions come up. Whereas in the case of the author's analysis, she has restricted to her own view and to the views of the people around her.