Re: [Foucault-L] introduction

Yes, as i understand it, the question is pointing that Jani is compeled to ask where is the agent in Foucault´s work AS A STUDENT OF SOCIOLOGY, this is, in order to mantein her sociological focus as such. This is not a stupid question at all, far away from it, it is the way to grasp some sociological results (she is probably using a bourdieuan perspective). Anyway, maybe the agent can be found on -or related to- the last Foucault -the one that talks about the pharresia- , considering that the agent is a concept that matches with the bourdieuan concept of habitus, which is a sociological tool that avoids the dualism between subjectivism/objettivism analysis that are refered to subject/individual theories...

cheers
and forgive my broken english
:)
adr

Thomas Lord <lord@xxxxxxx> escribió: Arianna wrote:
> its a stupid question, that's the answer
>

Why? The question is a bit vague as stated and may suggest that the student
is hopelessly enmeshed in a department that is mostly concerned with making
sure he learns the jargon of his field (as they see it) -- writes papers
that will
fly with reviewers and so forth. On the other hand, aren't there at least
two kinds of answers that might make sense, depending on the more fully
elaborated question? (a) in Foucault's reader (for whom he built tools);
(b) in Foucault's "we", "ourselves", "one", etc. -- that agency which is
subject to the management of the body, of sex, of madness, etc. The two
answers are not contradictory or exclusive, of course.

It seems like the student is being asked to locate Foucault within a famous
debate that has structured a lot of sociological research, and to which
researchers
in that field are expected to pay homage -- I would think that's a good
launching
point for many kinds of response. "Stupid question," may be accurate, but
it isn't very fulfilling.

-t
Amateur Philosopher


> jataseli@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
>> Hello!
>>
>> I´m a PhD student (MSocSc) in the Department of Social Sciences and
>> Philosophy at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland.
>>
>> My sociological research is about the history of drug addiction treatments
>> in Finland from 1960´s to present day. In this genealogical study I try
>> relate the changes in treatment practices to the changes of other
>> practices, be they discursive or non-discursive, that have made changes in
>> treatment practices possible. So basic foucauldian stuff.
>>
>> My current interests lie in the modern concept of addiction and in the
>> "original" problematization that the emergence of this concept was related
>> to in the late 18th and early 19th century. Furthermore, being a student
>> of sociology I confront all the time the question "where´s the agent in
>> Foucault´s thought". I´ve got a kind of a answer to this question but it
>> needs more clarification.
>>
>>
>> Yours
>>
>> Jani Selin
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Foucault-L mailing list
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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>
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Re: [Foucault-L] introduction, Thomas Lord
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