How did power-knowledge shape people into subjects in Michel Foucault’s thought?

In the philosophy of Michel Foucault, the concept of power-knowledge (pouvoir-savoir) describes how social structures and governing systems of thought reinforce one another to shape individuals into "subjects".12

Foucault argued that individuals are not pre-existing entities with a fixed essence; rather, they are socially constructed through historically specific dynamics of power and knowledge. This process, known as "subjectivation," involves classifying and shaping human beings into various categories—such as "normal" or "deviant"—through institutions like prisons, hospitals, and schools.23

These institutions utilize "disciplinary" technologies to make deviance visible and manageable, often under the guise of objective scientific inquiry. By establishing what is considered "true" or "normal" within a given era, these power-knowledge regimes define the limits of human identity and experience. Consequently, individuals are formed as subjects who are both governed by these systems and capable of internalizing them, though Foucault’s later work explored how individuals might exercise ethics and reflection to navigate or resist these modes of domination.21