Foucault’s Power, Knowledge, and Resistance: Reconfiguring East-West Dynamics in a Post-9/11 World

Abstract

Power dynamics play a crucial role in shaping contemporary world politics, particularly concerning the East-West dichotomy and its implications for Islamophobia, xenophobia, and the refugee crisis. This study explores how conflicting interests influence political landscapes, revealing a continuum where power and resistance coexist. It examines the ongoing transformations in power relations and their impact on the post-9/11 sensibilities within the East, influenced by Western hegemony. Michel Foucault's concept of power highlights its pervasive nature, embedded and unfolded within repressive social structures, subtly shaping the relationships and interactions between the East and the West. This interconnected web of influence illustrates the gap between perception and interpretation, enabling those with power to dominate knowledge and reinforce arbitrary discrimination. Such exercises of power create inequalities that provoke significant real-world reactions. Consequently, this research investigates how power, knowledge, and truth shape the identities and experiences of the subaltern today, offering critical insights into the ongoing struggles against systemic inequities. The hallmark of this study is its emphasis on the narrative of resistance, and the refusal to accept Western hegemony and power.