MICHEL FOUCAULT, info.

Hi everyone,

I've just joined the list, so thought I would introduce myself.  I'm  
a final year PhD student in Sociology at Queen's University in  
Belfast and my thesis is an exploration of transpeople's intimate  
partnerships (where transpeople are individuals who's gender identity  
does not match with that assigned at birth).

I'm using governmentality, friendship/pleasures and queer theory as  
my theoretical frameworks (in as much as gov can be labelled a  
'theory' - I guess it's more of a backdrop/undergirds the thesis).   
I've just finished reading 'Power' and am thinking through the ways  
in which the works included relate to my thesis.  The main areas I'm  
interested in in terms of transpeople are medicalisation and rights  
claims (cf. the Gender Recongition Act and Civil Partnerships Act in  
the UK), concentrating on normalisation and the often unacknowledged  
diversity within the 'trans community.'

I'm hoping this list will prove useful and interesting in relation to  
my thesis and a broader fascination with Foucault's work.

Tam