Political Economy of the Body (Sections 1 & 2)

Passage #1- “The body is directly involved in a political field; power relations have an immediate hold upon it; they invest it, mark it, train it, torture it, and force it to carry out tasks to perform ceremonies to emit signs.”

This vividly expressed statement exemplifies to the reader a surreal sense of viewing the human being. What I derived from this passage particularly is that the physical and physiological aspects of a body affect it entirely in every circumstance (emphasizing especially on societal standings). I believe this notion correlates with the “survival of the fittest” ideology only including a physiological and authoritative aspect as well.

Passage #2- “It is largely as a force of production that the body is invested with relations of power and domination, but on the other hand, its constitutions as labor power is possible only if it is caught up in a system of subjection…the body becomes a useful force only if it is both a productive body and subjected body.”

The sovereignty of a body is judged almost entirely by its influence and authority over other entities. But at the same time, productivity of an individual cannot exist without an aspiration that is greater than that character’s influence and also the willingness to generate product.