RE: from faeces to governmentality

An oldy but goody on this would be "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" by
Reich. This is the best of a number of good studies of the autocatalytic
relationship between personality structures and political structures. There
is even work by someone named Kamin that argues fairly persuasively that the
German Educational System as it existed from about 1850 to 1930 had a lot to
do with getting the German nation ready for National Socialism.

Never forget the importance of potty training as a first intimate linkage
between the body and mechanisms of control which both regulate and
constitute the self and never underestimate the importance of the anus as a
site of resistance and of the ritual act of opening and surrendering the
anus to the control of another in the private life and personal mythology of
Michel Foucault. The best Source on that would probably be "Foucault in
California" by Simeon Wade.

-----Original Message-----
From: Lionel Boxer
To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 10/17/01 8:03 PM
Subject: from faeces to governmentality

In an effort to dig out of this topic.

species ... faeces ... who gives a crap.

I am sorry I just could not help myself.

Indians do indeed hold cattle in high esteem, as did Egyptians who
placed
the scarab (dung beetle) in a high place. Cattle dung is useful and
scarabs
eat and live in dung.

As Eric brought up India ... On another matter, a USA study East Indian
people has suggested that there are two types of people in India, who
can be
either light skinned or dark skinned. The original indigenous people,
who
were like African or Australian aboriginal people, were oppressed by
Aryan
people about 1500 bce. The study has focused on facial features, which
aparently are divided into two distinct categories: 1. aryan and 2.
Dravidians. Thus ended the most brilliant civilisation of the ancient
world. It is suggested that the Aryans created the Hindus and the
caste
system, placing the Dalits (dark skinned with aboriginal features) in
the
lowest castes.

For more information refer to human geneticist Michael Bamshad of the
University of Utah.

What has this got to do with Foucault? I don't know ... governmentality

perhaps. Are people who are most concerned with shit more easily
governed
that those who have more developed concerns?

>From: Erik Hoogcarspel <jehms@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: wasting yer re...
>Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 18:09:56 +0200
>
>Who talks about human shit? The significance of a species can be
defined
>by the usefullness of it's shit. The Indians knew that and they
>considered the cow holy , mainly because of its shit. With bullshit
you
>can egalize the floor and the walls of your house, dried bullshit is
>used for incense, it makes excellent fuel for cooking and after the
meal
>you wash the dishes with the ashes. Holy cow!
>
>erik
>
>HealantHenry@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
>>Much of philosophy can be directly attributed to humanity's
relationship
>>to
>>its excrement:
>>
>>Ethics and morality were born when the first human stood erect,
thereby
>>having direct olafactory perception of its own genitals and anus.
>>
>>Meditations on the "fort" "da" of its excrement, early human's
projected
>>metaphysics with characteristics similar to shit: "god" is in me, yet
not
>>me.
>>
>>It may be the case, one could certainly make the case, that human
>>excrement
>>is the only genuine contribution humanity has ever made to the world.
>>
>
>


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