Foucault and Pragmatism

Erik raised the question as to whether there is a "center" in postmodern 
discourse, or the power matrices of our episteme.  I think that Gabriel 
Ash was correct when she said that pragmatism is more central than 
marginal (my words), in the sense that it has become one of the (perhaps) 
"functional rules" of our episteme's discourse.  This view, of course, is 
more archaeological than genealogical, which makes it problematic in one 
sense.  However, it is not to say that there is a "center" to a 
discourse, as perhaps I alluded to in my previous post.  Rather, 
pragmatic language, just like the language of Einsteinian relativity, has 
become one of the "normative" or functional rules of our (at least 
American) episteme.  

Now, because I hold this view, I am very interested in the question of 
whether pragmatism can/will/is mutate into another discourse, which could 
usher in a new way of handling the issue of political theory/action.  
Just like Modern man, the empirico-transcendental, mutated (according to 
Foucault) into the genealogical (dare I say "subject"?), and thus, Modern 
discourse self-destructed, out of which postmodern discourses emerged, 
can the same type of mutation occur via pragmatism.  I sense that the 
French feminists are already on to this and we may witness this mutation 
occuring via their thought.  But right now I'm not sure.  

What does everybody think about this?

Sincerely,
Kristin Switala



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