Re: [Foucault-L] foucault and the philosophy of the event

I am interested in this topic. I have nothing to contribute but I am eager to read what others have to say about it.
Thanks,

Fernando Calzadilla
Doctoral Candidate
Performance Studies
New York University
www.fernandocalzadilla.com

On Jun 12, 2006, at 12:24 AM, Glen Fuller wrote:

hi list,

The work I am doing for my dissertation took a historical turn last
year (away from field- and online-based ethnographic work) when I
realised there wasn't a sufficient knowledge of basic elements of the
culture I am researching to make such an ethnography worth writing up
on its own. Basically I realised I would spend more than half my time
explaining things to a reader, so I decided to make that explanation a
formal component of my dissertation and carry out some proper archival
research.

My theoretical orientation is strongly aligned with a 'philosophy of
the event' as it, for example, allowed me to think through my
ethnographic data on many different scales of what 'happened' and
the 'happening' of what 'happened'. As I have turned to the historical
side of things (dealing mainly with car enthusiast magazines over a 30
year period) I began thinking about Foucault's archeological method in
terms of the event, ie as an example of the philosophy of the event or
an application of this philosophy. I have a pretty strong grounding in
D&G's works (solo, together, with others, secondary texts), and my
conception of the event is heavily influenced by Deleuze's conception
(rather than the Lacanian/structuralist 'eruption' event). I think this
is a particularly fruitful way of engaging with Foucault's works. He
writes/speaks at various times about he was accused of not taking into
account historical 'change' when to me that is all he ever did (but not
on the level of the structuralist event). Pursuing Foucault's work in
this manner is very different to applications of his findings or
examples.

Is anyone familiar with work that engages in Foucault's oeuvre in this
manner, through the 'event'?

I am aware of Negri and Hardt's comments in Empire, which although are
comforting in that it reassures me I am not heading down a dead end,
they do not really explain or properly engage with this 'event'-based
connection between Deleuze and Guattari and Foucault which they also
identify. I have also read two of Colwell's essays (one on the event of
AIDS and another on Foucault, Deleuze and genealogy), but these essays
are more of a good start rather than a comprehensive reading of
Foucault's work in terms of the event.

Ciao,
Glen.

--
PhD Candidate
Centre for Cultural Research
University of Western Sydney

Read my rants: http://glenfuller.blogspot.com/

_______________________________________________
Foucault-L mailing list