Re: Totalization

In article duffett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Landis Duffett) writes:
>Date: Sat, 17 Sep 1994 18:12:54 -0600
>To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>From: duffett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Landis Duffett)
>Subject: Re: Totalization
>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxx


>I think what would be even more appreciated at this point (at least by me)
>would be some specific examples of these totalizing practices which you and
>others claim to have seen in Foucault's writings. I'm not trying to say
>they're not there; I would just like to see them, and to examine them in
>their context and then to reach a decision on my own. Perhaps you could
>help me and anyone else out who is interested in specific instances.

Landis,

I believe that what my problem is has to do
with Foucault's tendency to implicit judgements
of a moral character [as regards domination, repression
and power relations] whilst working ostensibly within
a normative framework which brackets liberal
notions of legitemacy/illegitemacy.

What I mean is that he was positioning himself
artificially outside normative liberal political
practices whilst still working with its basic moral
tenets. This seems, to my naive way of seeing,
to be a real problem in that it locates him firmly
within what he is saying has no validity for the
purposes of his analysis.

That the production of "expert opinion"
impies a lack of modesty is not the point
which concerns me. That he contributes to
the structures of domination by his implicit
involvement with the normative structure is
of concern.

The production of Foucault as a mythos which
is coercive is not something I think I am up to
tackling yet - I am also in my infancy regarding
this particular research.

Regards Tom

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