The one thing that I never thought Foucault's works lacked we concrete historical examples of his theoretical argument.
Concerning statements I'll give just two examples form History of Madness:
1. Descartes statements when considering the possibility of his being mad on the methodological path of his doubt: 'such people are insane, and I would be thought equally mad if I took anything from them as a model for myself' (HM: 45).
2. The Edict of the King for the establishment of the Hôpital Général in Paris in 1657 (HM: 47).
For Foucault, these two statements form two aspects of the same event, that of the confinement of madness at the start of the classical age: the former as the exclusion of madness from the process of thought; the second as the exclusion of madness from the social horizon. They thus from two concrete historical examples concerning his thesis regarding the sudden confinement of madness (by way of its opposition to Reason) at the start of the classical age.
Regards,
Kevin.
An no! I don't what to get into the whole Foucault-Derrida debate ;-)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: margaret.robinson@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:05:27 -0400
> To: foucault-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Foucault-L] Lack of examples
>
> Glen wrote: "...for the purposes of providing examples perhaps you could
> indicate which part you are interested in?"
>
> List-wise, I meant it in very general terms; In the work I've read, I
> don't
> find that Foucault convinces the reader of his view with argument and
> example. Rather he states his view, and tosses in a smattering of
> instances. In this way I find his writing style rather like Nietzsche.
> What
> he says is intriguing, but I'm not always sure I've understood it
> correctly.
>
> Personally, my interest is in technologies of the self. But perhaps I
> feel
> comfortable with it precisely because he did use examples when discussing
> it.
>
> --
> Margaret Robinson
> Doctoral candidate, University of Toronto
>
> Currently working on my dissertation, "Turning Points in Identity:
> Bisexual
> Women Choosing Between Monogamous and Polyamorous Relationships."
>
> margaret.robinson@xxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.margaretrobinson.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Foucault-L mailing list
Concerning statements I'll give just two examples form History of Madness:
1. Descartes statements when considering the possibility of his being mad on the methodological path of his doubt: 'such people are insane, and I would be thought equally mad if I took anything from them as a model for myself' (HM: 45).
2. The Edict of the King for the establishment of the Hôpital Général in Paris in 1657 (HM: 47).
For Foucault, these two statements form two aspects of the same event, that of the confinement of madness at the start of the classical age: the former as the exclusion of madness from the process of thought; the second as the exclusion of madness from the social horizon. They thus from two concrete historical examples concerning his thesis regarding the sudden confinement of madness (by way of its opposition to Reason) at the start of the classical age.
Regards,
Kevin.
An no! I don't what to get into the whole Foucault-Derrida debate ;-)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: margaret.robinson@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:05:27 -0400
> To: foucault-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Foucault-L] Lack of examples
>
> Glen wrote: "...for the purposes of providing examples perhaps you could
> indicate which part you are interested in?"
>
> List-wise, I meant it in very general terms; In the work I've read, I
> don't
> find that Foucault convinces the reader of his view with argument and
> example. Rather he states his view, and tosses in a smattering of
> instances. In this way I find his writing style rather like Nietzsche.
> What
> he says is intriguing, but I'm not always sure I've understood it
> correctly.
>
> Personally, my interest is in technologies of the self. But perhaps I
> feel
> comfortable with it precisely because he did use examples when discussing
> it.
>
> --
> Margaret Robinson
> Doctoral candidate, University of Toronto
>
> Currently working on my dissertation, "Turning Points in Identity:
> Bisexual
> Women Choosing Between Monogamous and Polyamorous Relationships."
>
> margaret.robinson@xxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.margaretrobinson.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Foucault-L mailing list