Power, Knowledge, and Fear: Feminism, Foucault, and the Stereotype of the Female Librarian

The stereotype of the female librarian is a common, well-defined, and easily recognized phenomenon in American popular culture. A large body of literature in librarianship reflects a deep professional concern over the negative effect of this stereotypical image. This essay, however, approaches the librarian stereotype as an element in a wider cultural text: that of the relationship between power, knowledge, and fear. Drawing on the work of Michel Foucault and feminist thought, the claim is developed that the form and the voice of the female librarian is a function of a system of power and rationality that is not of her own making.