Kent Ono responds to this Foucault East/West thread as follows:
>i am struck by the construction of the "oriental" philosophy of recent
>posts. even the constructions of the arguments derive from explicitly
>western conceptions of the "orient." having read said, myself, and
>having assumed said is, for most critical theorists, an assumed presence,
>i am shocked by the level of "orientalism" recently embedded in
>discussions of foucault as a marker on the road to an idealized and
>precisely western conception of "eastern" philosophies. the desire to
>attribute certain features to "oriental" philosphy and then to invoke the
>desired wester subject who fulfills that construction marks the moment of
>orientalization, the construction of eastern mystique and silent beauty.
>perhaps we can begin to work against such a construction rather than
>introducing it as a citation of "western" superiority on knowledge.
>
>Kent Ono
Kent, first, I'm not sure to what specific comments you are directing this
criticism, or whether you are suggesting the discussion in general to be
considered "orientalism". Please clarify.
Specifically, as a fellow student of east asian cultures, I have to
disagree with your latter section:
>the desire to
>attribute certain features to "oriental" philosphy and then to invoke the
>desired wester subject who fulfills that construction marks the moment of
>orientalization, the construction of eastern mystique and silent beauty.
>perhaps we can begin to work against such a construction rather than
>introducing it as a citation of "western" superiority on knowledge.
While your definition of orientalism as the grafting of eastern concepts
unto desired western concepts in order to affect "eastern mystique and
silent beauty" seems unobjectionable, I am puzzled by your application in
this particular context.
As we are here to discuss Foucault and closely related topics, the fact
that interpretation should take place from a largely Western perspective
should come as no shock. I don't feel that thoughtful attempts to explore
similiarities with what is commonly termed "eastern thought" should be
discouraged. Furthermore, I see no indications that any of us have
explicitly or implicitly invoked a sense of " 'western' superiority".
If anything, I think discussions of post-structural concepts in comparison
with various eastern concepts would work against such a conclusion.
Thanks for reading.
Brad.
------------------