Thanks for this David. There is also some quite interesting discussion of
Foucault from a Marxist perspective in some of Henri Lefebvre's work, much
of it rather crudely dismissive, but there is some more useful and
sympathetically critical material in De l'Etat. De l'Etat was a work that
Poulantzas noted positively in State, Power, Socialism as closer than most
to his position.
-----Original Message-----
From: foucault-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:foucault-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of David McInerney
Sent: 23 July 2005 10:45
To: Mailing-list
Subject: [Foucault-L] Poulantzas on Foucault: Was, Re: Revoltes Logiques
On Poulantzas and Foucault, it is worth trying to find the following by
Poulantzas, where he discusses Foucault in a manner even more
sympathetic than in SPS.
'Is there a Crisis in Marxism?', trans. Sarah Kafatou, _Journal of the
Hellenic Diaspora_, Vol. VI, No. 3, Fall 1979, p. 7-16.
There is also a statement by the editors on Poulantzas's suicide and
his contribution to Marxism on pp. 5-6.
The passage on Foucault (and Annales) is as follows:
'Marxism obviously cannot borrow isolated concepts from other
disciplines and use them in its own problematic without first seeing
to what degree the philosophy underlying those concepts is compatible
with its own. A Marxism which did so would be reduced to eclecticism
and pseudo-intellectual babbling; the borrowed concepts would not only
not enrich it, but they would operate within it as linguistic barriers
or even disorienting forces.
Often, however, there is a possibility of harmonizing other theoretical
approaches with Marxism, that is to say, with the fundamental
conceptual system of historical materialism. This possibility can
takes many forms. The most important are the following:
1) Some scholars have an approach which explicitly agrees with Marxism
on basic issues. A case in point is Annales, the well-known French
school of historiography. In such a case some concepts and conclusions
can certainly be incorporated into the conceptual apparatus of
historical materialism.
2) Some scholars work without a clear theoretical framework whereas
their procedures and results can only be understood with the aid of an
implicit logic compatible with Marxism.
3) Some scholars profess to be anti-Marxist, but are really opposed
only to a caricature of Marxism such as Stalinist economism, whereas
their operative intellectual philosophy is perfectly compatible with an
authentic Marxist approach.
4) Some scholars have an anti-Marxist problematic which is extrinsic to
their work. Their work is actually grounded on theoretical
pre-suppositions which are concealed in their overt argument and
coincide with Marxism on fundamental points.
The last two of these categories, as I argued in my last book (_State,
Power, Socialism_), apply to the work of Michel Foucault. Indeed, some
of Foucault's analyses enrich Marxism greatly, even though in his
latest book (_The History of Sexuality_) he expounds an explicitly
anti-Marxist problematic, but one directed against a caricature of
Marxism. In any event, Foucault's anti-Marxism is by and large not
related organically to his intellectual conclusions, but gives the
impression of something tacked on.
Within the limits of these categories, then, Marxism can be enriched
with elements of theories concerning its own object. In that sense,
our recognition of the omissions, disjunctions, and contradictions in
Marxism and of the crisis of Marxism is indeed hopeful and can be
creative.' (Poulantzas, _loc. cit._, pp. 14-15)
Some points might be made about this passage. The main one is that
Poulantzas and Althusser seem to have diverged after 1967 with respect
to their conceptions of 'philosophy', with Poulantzas seemingly evoking
something like Gramsci's characterisation of Marxism as the 'philosophy
of praxis' here in a way that Althusser never did after 1967. But I
don't think this would change the main points with respect to
Althusser's relation to Foucault, where there were many points of
convergence, especially after 1970 (as Montag argues in his essay in
_Yale French Studies_ Vol. 88, 1995).
This passage from Poulantzas possibly represents one of the most
positive assessments of Foucault within the Marxist left, and was
certainly unprecedented in 1979. I hope that the passage is of some use
to those working on theses trying to use Foucault in non-anti-Marxist
ways.
On 23/07/2005, at 6:02 PM, Richard Bailey wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Poulantzas in State, Power, Socialism cites an interview with Foucault
> in Revoltes Logiques, No.4 Winter 1977. I am assuming that is a French
> Language journal. Does anyone know whether this interview has been
> published in English anywhere?
>
> This is a passage from the interview:
>
> "Something in the body of society - in classes, groups and even
> individuals - which somehow escapes the relations of power... which is
> their limit, their reverse side, and their consequence... It is that
> which responds to every advance of power with a movement designed to
> break free from it."
>
> Thanks,
> Richard
> _______________________________________________
> Foucault-L mailing list
>
_______________________________________________
Foucault-L mailing list
Foucault from a Marxist perspective in some of Henri Lefebvre's work, much
of it rather crudely dismissive, but there is some more useful and
sympathetically critical material in De l'Etat. De l'Etat was a work that
Poulantzas noted positively in State, Power, Socialism as closer than most
to his position.
-----Original Message-----
From: foucault-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:foucault-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of David McInerney
Sent: 23 July 2005 10:45
To: Mailing-list
Subject: [Foucault-L] Poulantzas on Foucault: Was, Re: Revoltes Logiques
On Poulantzas and Foucault, it is worth trying to find the following by
Poulantzas, where he discusses Foucault in a manner even more
sympathetic than in SPS.
'Is there a Crisis in Marxism?', trans. Sarah Kafatou, _Journal of the
Hellenic Diaspora_, Vol. VI, No. 3, Fall 1979, p. 7-16.
There is also a statement by the editors on Poulantzas's suicide and
his contribution to Marxism on pp. 5-6.
The passage on Foucault (and Annales) is as follows:
'Marxism obviously cannot borrow isolated concepts from other
disciplines and use them in its own problematic without first seeing
to what degree the philosophy underlying those concepts is compatible
with its own. A Marxism which did so would be reduced to eclecticism
and pseudo-intellectual babbling; the borrowed concepts would not only
not enrich it, but they would operate within it as linguistic barriers
or even disorienting forces.
Often, however, there is a possibility of harmonizing other theoretical
approaches with Marxism, that is to say, with the fundamental
conceptual system of historical materialism. This possibility can
takes many forms. The most important are the following:
1) Some scholars have an approach which explicitly agrees with Marxism
on basic issues. A case in point is Annales, the well-known French
school of historiography. In such a case some concepts and conclusions
can certainly be incorporated into the conceptual apparatus of
historical materialism.
2) Some scholars work without a clear theoretical framework whereas
their procedures and results can only be understood with the aid of an
implicit logic compatible with Marxism.
3) Some scholars profess to be anti-Marxist, but are really opposed
only to a caricature of Marxism such as Stalinist economism, whereas
their operative intellectual philosophy is perfectly compatible with an
authentic Marxist approach.
4) Some scholars have an anti-Marxist problematic which is extrinsic to
their work. Their work is actually grounded on theoretical
pre-suppositions which are concealed in their overt argument and
coincide with Marxism on fundamental points.
The last two of these categories, as I argued in my last book (_State,
Power, Socialism_), apply to the work of Michel Foucault. Indeed, some
of Foucault's analyses enrich Marxism greatly, even though in his
latest book (_The History of Sexuality_) he expounds an explicitly
anti-Marxist problematic, but one directed against a caricature of
Marxism. In any event, Foucault's anti-Marxism is by and large not
related organically to his intellectual conclusions, but gives the
impression of something tacked on.
Within the limits of these categories, then, Marxism can be enriched
with elements of theories concerning its own object. In that sense,
our recognition of the omissions, disjunctions, and contradictions in
Marxism and of the crisis of Marxism is indeed hopeful and can be
creative.' (Poulantzas, _loc. cit._, pp. 14-15)
Some points might be made about this passage. The main one is that
Poulantzas and Althusser seem to have diverged after 1967 with respect
to their conceptions of 'philosophy', with Poulantzas seemingly evoking
something like Gramsci's characterisation of Marxism as the 'philosophy
of praxis' here in a way that Althusser never did after 1967. But I
don't think this would change the main points with respect to
Althusser's relation to Foucault, where there were many points of
convergence, especially after 1970 (as Montag argues in his essay in
_Yale French Studies_ Vol. 88, 1995).
This passage from Poulantzas possibly represents one of the most
positive assessments of Foucault within the Marxist left, and was
certainly unprecedented in 1979. I hope that the passage is of some use
to those working on theses trying to use Foucault in non-anti-Marxist
ways.
On 23/07/2005, at 6:02 PM, Richard Bailey wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Poulantzas in State, Power, Socialism cites an interview with Foucault
> in Revoltes Logiques, No.4 Winter 1977. I am assuming that is a French
> Language journal. Does anyone know whether this interview has been
> published in English anywhere?
>
> This is a passage from the interview:
>
> "Something in the body of society - in classes, groups and even
> individuals - which somehow escapes the relations of power... which is
> their limit, their reverse side, and their consequence... It is that
> which responds to every advance of power with a movement designed to
> break free from it."
>
> Thanks,
> Richard
> _______________________________________________
> Foucault-L mailing list
>
_______________________________________________
Foucault-L mailing list