Re: Trivia: best-selling book?

Hi All
can someone please point me in the direction of a definition of what =
Foucault meant by the term technology.
Judy Motion
motionjm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
University of Waikato


>>> "Clare O'Farrell" <c_ofarrell@xxxxxxxxxxx> 06/18/99 11:51 >>>
> >With apologies for the utterly trivial nature of the question, but=20
>anyway:> >does anyone know what Foucault's best-selling book in English=20=

>(apart from
> >the recent selections from Dits et Ecrits) is at the moment? I =
would've>=20
> >sworn it was HS1, but I have a friend in psychology who says that
> >Power/Knowledge is the one she sees everywhere.

I reckon it would have to be Discipline and Punish followed by HS1. The=20
number of times these books appear in footnotes is the basis for my =
guess=20
here!! One could also look up Amazon co. and look at the statistics of =
how=20
well these respective books are selling through amazon

Sean adds >Most
>people I know prefer D&P and think that it is his best work.

I would have to disagree with this, most influential perhaps, but not=20
necessarily the best. Maybe they only think it is his best because it is =
the=20
only one they have read. I have recently been systematically reading Dits =
et=20
Ecrits and there is some absolutely wonderful stuff in that (as well as =
some=20
not so good stuff). As for best book - any votes for The History of =
Madness?=20
and I have a serious weakness for The Archeology of Knowledge. My =
current=20
favourite piece of Foucault's however is the series of lectures he gave =
in=20
Brazil in 1973. I am also currently reading 'Two lectures' in the=20
Power/knowledge collection in English - very nice stuff - A couple of =
days=20
ago I read an article 'Medecine et antimedecine' (not translated as far as =
I=20
know) which I really liked as well, and... and... :-) My latest theory =
with=20
regards to Foucault is that his books are only the icing on the cake of =
an=20
enormous amount of empirical research and thought which one can see =
being=20
constructed in articles, lectures and interviews. After having read the=20
latter, the material that appears in Foucault's books becomes far easier =
to=20
grasp. -But ploughing through 4 volumes of 800 pages each in French or=20
several books in English which collect his works in scattered fashion =
is=20
something only the most hardened fan would want to do!!!

Clare

Clare O'Farrell
email:c_ofarrell@xxxxxxxxxxx=20
web page: http://www.qut.edu.au/edu/cpol/foucault/=20


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