Re: [Foucault-L] Foucault and colonialism

Dear Nadeem,

This is a fascinating, if relatively under-developed, aspect of Foucault studies. The translation/difference of colonial rule is much open to debate and sensitive to context and period. Not only that, but the type of power relation one is examining usually dictates different forms of translation. For instance, sovereign power in colonial contexts differed between the extreme violence and racial objectification of Africa, and the ceremonial and more democratised/less undemocratic colonialisms of settler colonies. Similarly, the difference of colonial discipline and government cannot be assumed to be the same (ie more extreme/violent versions) due to the financial restrictions placed on governing the spaces of colonialism. As such, the difference of colonial rule must be taken beyond Chatterjee's assertion of the centrality of "race" and into the intricate and lived reality of rule.

I have a chapter on "Foucault and postcolonialism" and journal article on "colonial governmentality" as explored in Delhi forthcoming if you'd like me to pass them on.

Best

Steve


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr Stephen Legg
Department of Geography
University of Cambridge
Downing Place
Cambridge
CB2 3EN
www.geog.cam.ac.uk/people/legg/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Jan 7 2006, nadeem omar wrote:

My interest in Foucault has sparked by archival research into the
disciplinary discourses of the colonial state in India, esp. Punjab. One can see a full scale deployment of human sciences in the construction of
colonial subject. But question remains, to what extend the forms of
subjectification and the project of knowlege production diverge. With
Foucault never entering a direct analysis of colonialism, how one is to
understand the specificity of colonial domination in the non-western world?

best, no

Nadeem Omar Tarar
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication and Cultural Studies
National College of Arts
Lahore, Pakistan


_______________________________________________
Foucault-L mailing list


--


Replies
Re: [Foucault-L] School Discipline, michael bibby
[Foucault-L] Foucault and colonialism, nadeem omar
Partial thread listing: