Diamond necklaces: perspectives on power and the language of "community"

The relationship between power and the language of "community" is considered through findings from research conducted in a clinic in which clinic personnel and women who used the clinic discussed their understanding of "community." Analysis of the data was informed by critical social theory such as the work of Foucault which was used to understand "community" as a place of oppression, while feminist theory was applied in order to understand "community" as a place of resistance. Women who used the clinic were created and defined consonant with clinic practices. The exercise of power was evident through the types of objectives pursued by the clinic, the establishment of power relations, the system of differentiation between clinic personnel and users, and the forms of institutionalization. Counter-discourses were also constructed that served as points of resistance. "Community" became a mechanism by which clinic users challenged various enactments of clinic power through their health care choices and the stories they shared among each other. Findings point to "community" as emphasizing boundaries and divisions rather than similarities and unity.