Fouad,
I'm with you 100% on this!
Sure, one does not have to aim for a positivistically "true Foucault" but
one should have as broad a context as possible in order to truly appreciate
the richness and depth of the work.
On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 5:15 PM, Fouad Kalouche <fkalouche@xxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>
> In dialogue with Kevin, Timothy and others,
>
> An academic approach to the study of Foucault requires a comprehensive (and
> not a selective) knowledge of the corpus of F's works. That does not mean
> that the more one reads of Foucault, one would know or reveal the "truth"
> about Foucault (and his texts); but this does mean that the practice of
> reading Foucault ensures some kind of familiarity and proximity that will
> contribute to a 'fidelity' in one's interpretation. Foucault's works has not
> been collected in such a way yet that the "corpus" is available to
> everyone--this is still in process and the courses are part and parcel of
> this endeavor. It does not matter that commercial or economic interests are
> at play--they always are; what matters is that we do not have yet for
> Foucault the equivalent of the Colli and Montinari edition of Nietzsche's
> complete works (an endeavor that Foucualt and Deleuze were invovled in as
> general editors of the French Gallimard edition). Many scholars are
> cherry-picking, nowadays, and claiming to represent Foucault, without
> accounting for the differences/similarities across texts along with the
> contexts.
>
> I just wanted to reiterate that any respectable scholar would have to read
> "all of Foucault" (not in the sense of postivistic totality but in the sense
> that Blanchot uses in his call for reading "Tout Sade") if she/he is
> interested in studying Foucault. Timothy is right about the "publish or
> perish" academic context--laced with marketing startegies involved in
> constructing truth-values--but this criticism also applies to those writing
> (and selling) the "definitive" interpretations of elements of a corpus that
> has not been adequately delineated yet (although the Dits and Ecrits and the
> Courses have and are doing that). And once the text is more delineated, that
> does not mean that it is fixed; it would permit more broadly textually
> informed interpretations and readings. So, like Kevin says, there are not
> texts out there that will miraculously "reveal" some hidden Foucauldian
> truths; but the more texts inform our interpretations, the less we
> (interpreters) ourselves need to hide/reveal "Foucault's truth"!
>
> Best,
>
> Fouad Kalouche > Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:08:26 -0800> From:
> kevin.turner@xxxxxxxxx> To: foucault-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re:
> [Foucault-L] The Hermeneutics of the Subject and volumes 2 and 3 of the
> History of Sexuality> > Chetan,> > For a long time, the only text I had read
> by Foucault was "Discipline and Punish," and from this reading, I think I
> formed a very clear and coherent understanding of what Foucault was doing
> with this book, of the kind of work it was carrying out.> > Somewhat later,
> I began to read all the texts available in English, and consequently formed
> a different understanding of what was taking place in the pages of DP. > >
> Is this second reading more accurate than the first? Is it a reading which,
> due to the extra material, produces a more fuller, more detailed, more
> sophisticated, and truer understanding of what takes place in DP? I'm not
> sure. For me it simply represents a different understanding, one that in no
> way invalidates my original reading of the text, but which has certainly
> modified that reading.> > This also holds for my undertaking of what happens
> in DP following my reading of the Collège de France lectures that took place
> prior to its publication (Psychiatric Power, Abnormal), and which formed the
> background research for it.> > Does all this extra data bring me "closer" to
> the "real" Foucault as this is presented in Discipline and Punish? Once
> again, I'm not sure. But I don't think so. I think that the difference
> between my reading of that text 14 years ago and now is not one of accuracy,
> but one of interpretation.> > So, I think I would respond to your question
> by saying that "Hermeneutic of the Subject" does not so much reveal the
> "true light" of UP and CS but, rather, opens up a different aperture (grid
> of intelligibility) through which these texts can be read and understood.> >
> There are only interpretations of interpretations...> > Regards,> Kevin.> >
> ____________________________________________________________> Receive
> Notifications of Incoming Messages> Easily monitor multiple email accounts &
> access them with a click.> Visit http://www.inbox.com/notifier and check
> it out!> > _______________________________________________> Foucault-L
> mailing list
> _________________________________________________________________
> Store, manage and share up to 5GB with Windows Live SkyDrive.
>
> http://skydrive.live.com/welcome.aspx?provision=1?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_skydrive_102008
> _______________________________________________
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>
--
Chetan Vemuri
West Des Moines, IA
aryavartacnsrn@xxxxxxxxx
(515)-418-2771
"You say you want a Revolution! Well you know, we all want to change the
world"
I'm with you 100% on this!
Sure, one does not have to aim for a positivistically "true Foucault" but
one should have as broad a context as possible in order to truly appreciate
the richness and depth of the work.
On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 5:15 PM, Fouad Kalouche <fkalouche@xxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>
> In dialogue with Kevin, Timothy and others,
>
> An academic approach to the study of Foucault requires a comprehensive (and
> not a selective) knowledge of the corpus of F's works. That does not mean
> that the more one reads of Foucault, one would know or reveal the "truth"
> about Foucault (and his texts); but this does mean that the practice of
> reading Foucault ensures some kind of familiarity and proximity that will
> contribute to a 'fidelity' in one's interpretation. Foucault's works has not
> been collected in such a way yet that the "corpus" is available to
> everyone--this is still in process and the courses are part and parcel of
> this endeavor. It does not matter that commercial or economic interests are
> at play--they always are; what matters is that we do not have yet for
> Foucault the equivalent of the Colli and Montinari edition of Nietzsche's
> complete works (an endeavor that Foucualt and Deleuze were invovled in as
> general editors of the French Gallimard edition). Many scholars are
> cherry-picking, nowadays, and claiming to represent Foucault, without
> accounting for the differences/similarities across texts along with the
> contexts.
>
> I just wanted to reiterate that any respectable scholar would have to read
> "all of Foucault" (not in the sense of postivistic totality but in the sense
> that Blanchot uses in his call for reading "Tout Sade") if she/he is
> interested in studying Foucault. Timothy is right about the "publish or
> perish" academic context--laced with marketing startegies involved in
> constructing truth-values--but this criticism also applies to those writing
> (and selling) the "definitive" interpretations of elements of a corpus that
> has not been adequately delineated yet (although the Dits and Ecrits and the
> Courses have and are doing that). And once the text is more delineated, that
> does not mean that it is fixed; it would permit more broadly textually
> informed interpretations and readings. So, like Kevin says, there are not
> texts out there that will miraculously "reveal" some hidden Foucauldian
> truths; but the more texts inform our interpretations, the less we
> (interpreters) ourselves need to hide/reveal "Foucault's truth"!
>
> Best,
>
> Fouad Kalouche > Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:08:26 -0800> From:
> kevin.turner@xxxxxxxxx> To: foucault-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re:
> [Foucault-L] The Hermeneutics of the Subject and volumes 2 and 3 of the
> History of Sexuality> > Chetan,> > For a long time, the only text I had read
> by Foucault was "Discipline and Punish," and from this reading, I think I
> formed a very clear and coherent understanding of what Foucault was doing
> with this book, of the kind of work it was carrying out.> > Somewhat later,
> I began to read all the texts available in English, and consequently formed
> a different understanding of what was taking place in the pages of DP. > >
> Is this second reading more accurate than the first? Is it a reading which,
> due to the extra material, produces a more fuller, more detailed, more
> sophisticated, and truer understanding of what takes place in DP? I'm not
> sure. For me it simply represents a different understanding, one that in no
> way invalidates my original reading of the text, but which has certainly
> modified that reading.> > This also holds for my undertaking of what happens
> in DP following my reading of the Collège de France lectures that took place
> prior to its publication (Psychiatric Power, Abnormal), and which formed the
> background research for it.> > Does all this extra data bring me "closer" to
> the "real" Foucault as this is presented in Discipline and Punish? Once
> again, I'm not sure. But I don't think so. I think that the difference
> between my reading of that text 14 years ago and now is not one of accuracy,
> but one of interpretation.> > So, I think I would respond to your question
> by saying that "Hermeneutic of the Subject" does not so much reveal the
> "true light" of UP and CS but, rather, opens up a different aperture (grid
> of intelligibility) through which these texts can be read and understood.> >
> There are only interpretations of interpretations...> > Regards,> Kevin.> >
> ____________________________________________________________> Receive
> Notifications of Incoming Messages> Easily monitor multiple email accounts &
> access them with a click.> Visit http://www.inbox.com/notifier and check
> it out!> > _______________________________________________> Foucault-L
> mailing list
> _________________________________________________________________
> Store, manage and share up to 5GB with Windows Live SkyDrive.
>
> http://skydrive.live.com/welcome.aspx?provision=1?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_skydrive_102008
> _______________________________________________
> Foucault-L mailing list
>
--
Chetan Vemuri
West Des Moines, IA
aryavartacnsrn@xxxxxxxxx
(515)-418-2771
"You say you want a Revolution! Well you know, we all want to change the
world"