Just a few thoughts.
Foucault's concept of coercion is applicable to drug treatment in the
sense that his notion of coercion includes both physical and 'mental'
(through discursive practices (knowledge practices) that work on the
subject and generate the subject. The notion the drug addict (like the
delinquent) is a constructed definition used to coerce the self in order
for that subject to recognize him/herself as a drug addict. after all as
Nietzsche pointed out self-policing is the most effective method of
social control.
I would suggest you read Dis & Punish and read delinquent as drug addict
and maybe this will help in your paper.
For Foucault the coercion is in the very process of defining the
individual as a 'drug addict' with this definition comes all the social
coercion necessary to control the 'treatment' of this 'sick' (abnormal)
self. The crucial thing to remember is that power works by constituting
the subject as a certain type of thing. for example a different self is
formed by seeing drug addiction as genetic than the type of self that
arises when the drug addict is the result of free will. And as a
consequence the 'treatment' itself differs and the forms of coercion
differs.
I hope that this is clear, unfortunately Foucault's work is subject to
indeterminacy as to what it 'means' and its relation to practical
problems. So contributions from others on this topic are required for
you to get a sense of the meaning that circulate around Foucault's work.
Foucault's concept of coercion is applicable to drug treatment in the
sense that his notion of coercion includes both physical and 'mental'
(through discursive practices (knowledge practices) that work on the
subject and generate the subject. The notion the drug addict (like the
delinquent) is a constructed definition used to coerce the self in order
for that subject to recognize him/herself as a drug addict. after all as
Nietzsche pointed out self-policing is the most effective method of
social control.
I would suggest you read Dis & Punish and read delinquent as drug addict
and maybe this will help in your paper.
For Foucault the coercion is in the very process of defining the
individual as a 'drug addict' with this definition comes all the social
coercion necessary to control the 'treatment' of this 'sick' (abnormal)
self. The crucial thing to remember is that power works by constituting
the subject as a certain type of thing. for example a different self is
formed by seeing drug addiction as genetic than the type of self that
arises when the drug addict is the result of free will. And as a
consequence the 'treatment' itself differs and the forms of coercion
differs.
I hope that this is clear, unfortunately Foucault's work is subject to
indeterminacy as to what it 'means' and its relation to practical
problems. So contributions from others on this topic are required for
you to get a sense of the meaning that circulate around Foucault's work.