The research question of this paper focuses on the relation between power and resistance within McQueen's movie by incorporating Foucault's notion that power is reversible and always brings along resistance.
I argue that power as well as power relations change through practiced forms of resistance. For my analysis of Solomon’s confrontations with white power and strategies of resistance in the movie, I will first illustrate Foucault's theory of power and resistance, followed by a depiction of control and slave resistance in antebellum American slavery. Finally, I will analyse how power and resistance are displayed in the movie.
Although the United States Constitution declares all human beings as equal individuals, white people of European descent regarded themselves as superior compared to people of different ancestry, especially to Blacks. Blacks were not even regarded as human beings and furthermore treated as objects and "legal property" of white people. This derives from the notion of race as an indicating signifier, categorising people based on supposed biological characteristics, including skin colour.
Moreover, race is not a universal concept; rather, it forms “a contingent and unstable cultural category with which people identify". With its prejudicial connotation, the cultural studies concept of race roots in the misbalanced hierarchical power distribution between colonialists and subjected people. Thus, colonialists referred to themselves as 'civilized people', distinguishing from the ‘primitive’ subject and thereby hierarchised human types.
The dominant groups' assumed superiority results in the suppression of the recessive subject by ranking social groups within a hierarchical system of both material and social inferiority and superiority. This leads to the view of race being a cultural instead of a biological phenomenon. Consequently, black people suffered from Whites who maximised their power by inhumane laws and forces as they wanted to restrain and dominate the black mass during antebellum American slavery.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Foucault
2.1 Power
2.2 Resistance
3. Antebellum American slavery
3.1 Control
3.2 Slave resistance
4. Analysis: Power and resistance in 12 Years a Slave
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper investigates the relationship between power and resistance in Steve McQueen's film "12 Years a Slave," utilizing Michel Foucault's theoretical framework to demonstrate that power is a reversible, dynamic force that inevitably necessitates resistance. By analyzing Solomon Northup’s experiences, the study highlights how the enslaved individual employs knowledge and personal agency to challenge and subvert the oppressive structures of the American slavocracy.
- Foucauldian theory of power and resistance
- Mechanisms of control in antebellum American slavery
- Strategies of slave resistance: physical, cultural, and day-to-day
- Cinematic analysis of power relations in 12 Years a Slave
- The intersection of knowledge and power for the oppressed
Excerpt from the Book
4. Analysis: Power and resistance in 12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave reflects the above delineated historical situation and circumstances of slavery. It thereby fits to the Foucauldian notion of power and resistance which can also be found in the movie. The following analysis examines Solomon Northup’s confrontations with white power as well as his individual strategies and forms of resistance as an answer to the former. Corresponding with Foucault’s assumption that power and resistance inevitably belong together, the scenes are not strictly divided into either resistant or oppressive acts; rather, the two intertwine.
Before analysing the first scene, one should examine the movie’s cover in order to develop a first idea of both the movie’s subject and atmosphere.
The cover shows a black man in a white linen shirt and black trousers, depicted in a profile view. He takes more than three quarters of the movie’s cover. His body posture is upright and in motion, his mouth is opened, and his look is straight, creating a certain kind of concentration in his face. A gleam of light can be detected behind him. The movie’s title is written on the level of his upper body, more precisely on his chest. As the man is printed largely on the cover, one can assume that he is the movie’s main character. Due to the man’s motion, the audience can deduce that he is running away from something. Since his look is focused straight forward, one can furthermore conclude that he is not only running away from, but also towards something. By the soft and golden gleam of light above his right arm which creates a warm and comforting atmosphere, one can conclude that the man is running towards something good.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the historical context of American slavery and establishes the research question, which explores the dynamics of power and resistance in McQueen's film through a Foucauldian lens.
2. Foucault: This chapter provides an overview of Michel Foucault’s theories on power as a ubiquitous, reversible machine, and introduces the concept that power and resistance are inextricably linked.
3. Antebellum American slavery: This section details the multifaceted control mechanisms used by slave owners to maintain the institution of slavery and examines various forms of slave response, including physical, cultural, and daily resistance.
4. Analysis: Power and resistance in 12 Years a Slave: This chapter applies the previously established theoretical and historical framework to specific scenes from the film, analyzing how Solomon Northup utilizes agency and knowledge to resist his captors.
5. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming that power is dynamic and not solely held by slave owners, and emphasizes that the oppressed possess agency to challenge and subvert their status.
Keywords
12 Years a Slave, Michel Foucault, Power, Resistance, Antebellum Slavery, Solomon Northup, Steve McQueen, Cultural Autonomy, Disciplinary Power, Slave Agency, Discourse, Subordination, Oppression, Film Analysis, Social Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the dialectical relationship between power and resistance in the film 12 Years a Slave, specifically applying the philosophical concepts developed by Michel Foucault.
What central themes are explored?
The central themes include the systemic mechanisms of control in antebellum slavery, the nature of power as a circular and reversible force, and the various ways individuals exercise agency to resist oppressive structures.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to argue that power and resistance are interconnected, and that the enslaved protagonist, Solomon Northup, effectively uses his knowledge and social intelligence to challenge the power structures imposed upon him.
Which theoretical approach is utilized?
The study utilizes the political and social philosophy of Michel Foucault, particularly his notions of "disciplinary power," "discourse," and the inevitability of resistance wherever power relations exist.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body moves from theoretical foundations and historical descriptions of slave resistance to a detailed scene-by-scene analysis of the film, focusing on camera angles, character interactions, and symbolic elements.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Foucauldian power, slave resistance, antebellum slavery, cinematic discourse, and agency.
How does the author interpret Solomon's use of construction plans?
The author views Solomon’s expert knowledge and construction plans not just as tasks, but as a form of resistance that grants him a degree of power over his masters, challenging their narrative of innate racial inferiority.
What significance is attributed to the "hush-harbor" meetings?
The author identifies these religious meetings as a form of resistance, noting that they acted as autonomous cultural spaces that existed outside of white control, thereby subverting the plantation's hegemony.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2020, Power and Resistance in Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/539289
