A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances
The aim of this thesis is to examine a radical relational agency, applied to contemporary environmental resistances, that incorporates both the thought of Michel Foucault and complexity theory. While Foucault’s thought, following from his argument that power is a relation, implies a relational agenc...
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| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
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2010
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11450/ |
| _version_ | 1848791279846031360 |
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| author | Picard, E. Kezia |
| author_facet | Picard, E. Kezia |
| author_sort | Picard, E. Kezia |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The aim of this thesis is to examine a radical relational agency, applied to contemporary environmental resistances, that incorporates both the thought of Michel Foucault and complexity theory. While Foucault’s thought, following from his argument that power is a relation, implies a relational agency, it does not, however, account for the agency of nonhumans and environments. Because power is a relation and not a possession, it can no longer be viewed as an attribute of individual subjects. Similarly, a relational agency is defined as an aspect of power relations. Complexity theory, on the other hand, acknowledges that humans interact with nonhumans and environments, but does not acknowledge that all relations are relations of power. In addition to Foucault’s explanation of power relations, complexity theory explicitly describes the processes of self-organization through which individual and diverse agents interact and change can emerge. Thus, a radical relational agency is defined as an aspect of the power relationships between many diverse agents. Change, according to both Foucault and complexity theory, happens nonlinearly. As a result, it often occurs unpredictably. However, change within complex systems is also limited by previous historical emergences. In this sense, both possibility and risk are inherent in the relationships between humans, nonhumans and environments. Indeed, I argue that a radical relational agency occurs because there are both possibilities and risks generated within ecological relations and relations of power. Therefore, I argue that any environmental action must account for the unpredictability inherent to the complex interactions between humans, nonhumans and environments. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:25:59Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-11450 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:25:59Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-114502025-02-28T11:13:34Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11450/ A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances Picard, E. Kezia The aim of this thesis is to examine a radical relational agency, applied to contemporary environmental resistances, that incorporates both the thought of Michel Foucault and complexity theory. While Foucault’s thought, following from his argument that power is a relation, implies a relational agency, it does not, however, account for the agency of nonhumans and environments. Because power is a relation and not a possession, it can no longer be viewed as an attribute of individual subjects. Similarly, a relational agency is defined as an aspect of power relations. Complexity theory, on the other hand, acknowledges that humans interact with nonhumans and environments, but does not acknowledge that all relations are relations of power. In addition to Foucault’s explanation of power relations, complexity theory explicitly describes the processes of self-organization through which individual and diverse agents interact and change can emerge. Thus, a radical relational agency is defined as an aspect of the power relationships between many diverse agents. Change, according to both Foucault and complexity theory, happens nonlinearly. As a result, it often occurs unpredictably. However, change within complex systems is also limited by previous historical emergences. In this sense, both possibility and risk are inherent in the relationships between humans, nonhumans and environments. Indeed, I argue that a radical relational agency occurs because there are both possibilities and risks generated within ecological relations and relations of power. Therefore, I argue that any environmental action must account for the unpredictability inherent to the complex interactions between humans, nonhumans and environments. 2010 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11450/1/Thesis.pdf Picard, E. Kezia (2010) A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Foucault Resistances Complexity Theory Environmentalism Nature Subjectivity Nonhumans |
| spellingShingle | Foucault Resistances Complexity Theory Environmentalism Nature Subjectivity Nonhumans Picard, E. Kezia A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| title | A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| title_full | A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| title_fullStr | A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| title_full_unstemmed | A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| title_short | A radical relational agency: Foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| title_sort | radical relational agency: foucault, complexity theory and environmental resistances |
| topic | Foucault Resistances Complexity Theory Environmentalism Nature Subjectivity Nonhumans |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11450/ |