<from Kristin Switala>
Concerning whether or not Foucault's CARE OF THE SELF (LE SOUCI DE SOI)
is applicable to a study of current marketing and advertising strategies
seems a very difficult issue to resolve. Remember that Foucault is
discussing Roman women and the issue of how the Roman woman's "self" is
constructed (partially) out of the Roman man's "self," though not in the
same way as in the ancient Greek world (i.e., THE USES OF PLEASURE).
Any examination of LE SOUCI DE SOI which focuses on women and the role of
women in Roman society needs to take into account at least these things:
a. that Roman women had more economic and political choices than
their Greek predecessors; this had profound effects upon how their
"selves" could be constructed;
b. that Roman women played a crucial role in the possibilities
of their husbands' construction of "selves"; this made them (as wives)
more invaluable than Greek women;
c. that American women are in a radically different situation
than their Roman predecessors; however, you could still make some
interesting parallels if you carefully address the economic, political,
and marital aspects of how American women construct them "selves".
I wish you luck in your endeavor!
Sincerely,
Kristin Switala
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