we've got to be careful with this - it was a line I chased for a while.
'pouvoir' as a verb means 'to be able to'; as a noun, it means 'power'. The
reason we have to be so careful is that in 'The Subject and Power' Foucault
is very specific that by power he does not mean capacity or potential but
something actual. 'Power' in English also has the connotation of a capacity
to do something, but not in Foucault's usage.
Mark
>From: francois gagnon <francois.gagnon.1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: micro-translations
>Date: Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:46:47 -0400
>
>Yes it can.
>F.
>
>Kevin Turner a écrit:
>
>>while we're on the subject of translation...
>>
>>can someone confirm that the term foucault uses for power,
>>"pouvoir," can also mean "be able (to)",
"can," "be possible," or
>>"capacity," etc.
>>
>>cheers - k
>>
>>On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:52:00 +0200, xavier delcourt
>><delcourt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>>équilibre européen: "european balance" would be
totally acceptable
>>>from my point of view
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>--
>François Gagnon
>Doctorant
>Département de Communication
>Université de Montréal
>
>
>
'pouvoir' as a verb means 'to be able to'; as a noun, it means 'power'. The
reason we have to be so careful is that in 'The Subject and Power' Foucault
is very specific that by power he does not mean capacity or potential but
something actual. 'Power' in English also has the connotation of a capacity
to do something, but not in Foucault's usage.
Mark
>From: francois gagnon <francois.gagnon.1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: micro-translations
>Date: Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:46:47 -0400
>
>Yes it can.
>F.
>
>Kevin Turner a écrit:
>
>>while we're on the subject of translation...
>>
>>can someone confirm that the term foucault uses for power,
>>"pouvoir," can also mean "be able (to)",
"can," "be possible," or
>>"capacity," etc.
>>
>>cheers - k
>>
>>On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:52:00 +0200, xavier delcourt
>><delcourt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>>équilibre européen: "european balance" would be
totally acceptable
>>>from my point of view
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>--
>François Gagnon
>Doctorant
>Département de Communication
>Université de Montréal
>
>
>