Foucault-L mail-list

Eric,

Thanks for your careful response. You make some good points and I think
you know your Foucault. You are right that we likely agree on much. I
would only take issue with your (general) points concerning
subjectivity. 

I understand F as implying something *precisely* about "us" and "our"
subjectivities here in the modern world. You suggest that he wasn't
really saying anything about contemporary subjectivities (if I read you
right) in his early/middle works. But I thought that's *exactly* what a
genealogy was all about, and thus that Discipline and Punish, B of the
C, H of S, etc, were saying something about what we are because of what
preceded us. Hmmmm. Didn't Foucault say that genealogies are a "history
of the present"? 

I'm not trying to be smug here -- it's hard to express true interest
via email, as opposed to sarcasm! -- but what do you (and the rest of
you out there) think Foucault means by "history of the present"? Have I
got this all wrong?

Thanks again for your points, Eric. Love to hear more. Hope you are able
to de-stress soon....

And I'm not grumpy anymore!  :)


Blaine Rehkopf
Philosophy
York University
CANADA
--