Ετεροτοπίες

by Michel Foucault, Τάσος Μπέτζελος (Translator)

Συλλογή κειμένων και συνεντεύξεων του Φουκώ, ανέκδοτων στα ελληνικά, που ξεκινούν με ένα από τα σημαντικότερα κείμενα του γάλλου φιλοσόφου (για τον Ζωρζ Μπατάιγ) και ολοκληρώνονται με ένα εξίσου διάσημο κείμενο για τις ετεροτοπίες. Ανάμεσα στο πρώτο και το τελευταίο κείμενο, μια σειρά παρεμβάσεις φωτίζουν τη διαδρομή του Φουκώ, από τις "Λέξεις και τα πράγματα" (κι ακόμη νωρίτερα, από τις πρώτες μελέτες για την ψυχολογία και τη λογοτεχνία) μέχρι την "Ιστορία της σεξουαλικότητας", από την προβληματική της αρχαιολογίας των επιστημών του ανθρώπου μέχρι την προβληματική της αισθητικής της ύπαρξης και των τρόπων υποκειμενοποίησης.

Η συλλογή κειμένων εστιάζεται κυρίως στην πρώτη και την τελευταία περίοδο του στοχασμού του Φουκώ και περιλαμβάνει ορισμένες από τις σημαντικότερες παρεμβάσεις του γάλλου φιλοσόφου, καθώς και συνεντεύξεις και συζητήσεις για τη φιλοσοφία, την ηθική, τον μαρξισμό, τη γαλλική αριστερά κ.λπ. Ξεχωριστή θέση κατέχει η εκτενής συζήτηση για τον δομισμό και τον μεταδομισμό, όπου ο φιλόσοφος αναφέρεται στην ιστορία του φορμαλισμού και του δομισμού, στην προσωπική του φιλοσοφική διαδρομή, στον καθοριστικό ρόλο του Νίτσε, αλλά και στη σχέση του με τον Φρόυντ και τον Μαρξ, δηλώνοντας επιγραμματικά: "Δεν ήμουν ποτέ φροϋδιστής, δεν ήμουν ποτέ μαρξιστής, δεν ήμουν ποτέ δομιστής".

Πρόλογος στην παραβίαση
Φιλοσοφία και ψυχολογία
Οι λέξεις και τα πράγματα
Συζήτηση με τη Μαντλέν Σαπσάλ
Περί των τρόπων που γράφεται η ιστορία
Ο Φουκώ απαντά στον Σαρτρ
Ο Μισέλ Φουκώ εξηγεί την Αρχαιολογία της γνώσης
Ο προσωπιδοφόρος φιλόσοφος
Για τη φιλία ως τρόπο ζωής
Είναι λοιπόν σημαντικό να σκεφτόμαστε;
Ο κοινωνικός θρίαμβος της σεξουαλικής ηδονής: συζήτηση με τον Μισέλ Φουκώ
Δομισμός και μεταδομισμός
Πολιτική και ηθική: μια συνέντευξη
Η μέριμνα για την αλήθεια
Η επιστροφή της ηθικής
Μια αισθητική της ύπαρξης
Άλλοι χώροι [Ετεροτοπίες]

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, Theory, Architecture, France, Academic

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Paul-Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationships between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social control through societal institutions. Though often cited as a structuralist and postmodernist, Foucault rejected these labels. His thought has influenced academics, especially those working in communication studies, anthropology, psychology, sociology, criminology, cultural studies, literary theory, feminism, Marxism and critical theory.
Born in Poitiers, France, into an upper-middle-class family, Foucault was educated at the Lycée Henri-IV, at the École Normale Supérieure, where he developed an interest in philosophy and came under the influence of his tutors Jean Hyppolite and Louis Althusser, and at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), where he earned degrees in philosophy and psychology. After several years as a cultural diplomat abroad, he returned to France and published his first major book, The History of Madness (1961). After obtaining work between 1960 and 1966 at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, he produced The Birth of the Clinic (1963) and The Order of Things (1966), publications that displayed his increasing involvement with structuralism, from which he later distanced himself. These first three histories exemplified a historiographical technique Foucault was developing called "archaeology".
From 1966 to 1968, Foucault lectured at the University of Tunis before returning to France, where he became head of the philosophy department at the new experimental university of Paris VIII. Foucault subsequently published The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969). In 1970, Foucault was admitted to the Collège de France, a membership he retained until his death. He also became active in several left-wing groups involved in campaigns against racism and human rights abuses and for penal reform. Foucault later published Discipline and Punish (1975) and The History of Sexuality (1976), in which he developed archaeological and genealogical methods that emphasized the role that power plays in society.
Foucault died in Paris from complications of HIV/AIDS; he became the first public figure in France to die from complications of the disease. His partner Daniel Defert founded the AIDES charity in his memory.

Reviews

[Nassos Kontonatsios · Rating 5 out of 5]

[ … Οι οίκοι ανοχής και οι αποικίες είναι οι δυο ακραίοι τύποι ετεροτοπίας, και αν σκεφτούμε εντέλει ότι το καράβι είναι ένα κομμάτι χώρου που επιπλέει, ένας άτοπος τόπος, που ζει από μόνος του που είναι κλεισμένος στον εαυτό του και που έχει συγχρόνως παραδοθεί στο άπειρο της θάλασσας και που από λιμάνι σε λιμάνι, από βάρδια σε βάρδια, από οίκο ανοχής σε οίκο ανοχής, πηγαίνει μέχρι τις αποικίες αναζητώντας ό,τι πολυτιμότερο έχουν στους κήπους τους, τότε καταλαβαίνουμε γιατί το καράβι ήταν για τον πολιτισμό μας, από τον 16ο αιώνα μέχρι τις μέρες μας, όχι μόνο το μεγαλύτερο εργαλείο οικονομικής ανάπτυξης αλλά και η μεγαλύτερη δεξαμενή φαντασίας.

Το πλοίο είναι η κατεξοχήν ετεροτοπία. Στους πολιτισμούς δίχως καράβια τα όνειρα αποστειρώνονται, η κατασκοπεία αντικαθιστά την περιπέτεια και η αστυνομία τους πειρατές … ]

[Evoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heterotopias = one of my favorite topics ever!!!

[Coco]

De nuevo, una lectura corta (6pgs) para la uni!

[sophiereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Wie der Spiegel und der Tod, so besänftigt auch die Liebe die Utopie des Körpers, lässt sie verstummen, beruhigt sie, sperrt sie gleichsam in einen Kasten, den sie verschließt und versiegelt. Deshalb sind Spiegelillusion und Todesdrohung einander so ähnlich. Und wenn wir trotz der beiden bedrohlichen Figuren, die sie umgeben, dennoch so gerne einander lieben, so weil in der Liebe der Körper hier ist.“

[Shira]

Uhm.. I am flabbergasted. Such a short text and the way I think of carpets and gardens now, but in particular carpets, has completely changed. Not to mention that I want to run around and exclaim that I want to study the study of spaces and not-spaces and other spaces and what not to do with space! (maybe not that space but maybe even that one too.)

”The traditional garden of the Persians was a sacred space that was supposed to bring together inside its rectangle four parts representing the four parts of the world, with a space still more sacred than the others that were like an umbilicus, the navel of the world at its center (the basin and water fountain were there); and all the vegetation of the garden was supposed to come together in this space, in this sort of microcosm. As for carpets, they were originally reproductions of gardens (the garden is a rug onto which the whole world comes to enact its symbolic perfection, and the rug is a sort of garden that can move across space). The garden is the smallest parcel of the world and then it is the totality of the world. The garden has been a sort of happy, universalizing heterotopia since the beginnings of antiquity (our modern zoological gardens spring from that source).”

Edit: Two days after writing the above, I just wanted to place my remark in the context of never having read Foucault before and just feeling happy to encounter something that generally sparks my interest, which doesn't happen that often since my interest doesn't seem to stay with things for a long time, rather they stay with too many at the same time so that it almost equals having no interests. Or at least, It feels a bit like that. Yet again I'm not sure if this interest of spaces will stick, but Foucault definitely sparked an interest for the subject, even though due to the shortness of this piece I do think it would benefit from reading more about it. But that is a good thing.

[Antje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foucault....Heterotopien....vor achtzehn Jahren musste ich mich gezwungenermaßen mit ihnen beiden befassen und ein Referat halten. Zuvor hatte ich noch nie davon gehört und trotzdem war ich prompt vom Klang der beiden Wörter eingenommen. Offenbar in jenem Maße, dass sie mir bis heute im Gedächtnis verblieben sind und ich just wissen wollte, was ich - inzwischen gereifter und belesener - von dem Vortrag halte.

Ich glaube, mein Interesse für Philosophie, der Suche nach Erkenntnis, nach Wahrheit und Sinnhaftigkeit ist damals größer gewesen. Zwar lösen Foucaults Beispiele von Heterotopien noch immer Gedankenströme in mir aus, insbesondere die Bedeutung von deren wie Friedhöfe, Bordelle oder Hochzeitsreisen. Aber etwas Entscheidendes hat sich verändert. Mich interessieren heute vielmehr die historischen Hintergründe und Details dieser Räume und weniger die Frage, welche Art Räume es gibt und wie sie sich charakterisieren lassen und wann eine Heterotopie eine Heterotopie ist. Obwohl eine philosophische Diskussionsrunde über Heterotopie und Utopie sicher reizvoll ist.

Sein zweiter Vortrag über utopische Körper verstand mich leider wenig zu fesseln und auf eine philosophische Reise mitzunehmen. Allein seine Feststellung, dass der menschliche Körper der Hauptakteur aller Utopien sei und das damit verbundene Beispiel vom Sinn des Tätowierens, Schminkens und Maskierens fand ich höchst aufschlussreich.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma se per tre volte davanti allo specchio ripeto
"il corpo è il punto zero del mondo",
mi apparirà Foucault?

[Kim Moulaire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intéressant. Nous questionne sur ce qui nous entoure. Finalement, tu vas au cinéma, d'accord, mais, c'est un espace qui dispose d'une utopie in-situ. Tu regardes un rectangle blanc, dans lequel se trouve un autre espace, dans lequel se situe l'action du film. C'est une hétérotopie, un lieu ouvert qui a la propriété de nous maintenir “au dehors”.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belíssimas reflexões de Foucault. Muito breves mas que têm o sortilégio de dizer tudo. Esta obra é fruto de duas conferências de Foucault e a clareza do seu discurso é magistral. É como se a palavra primeiro falada e depois reduzida a escrito sofresse uma metamorfose e lhe desse toda a beleza possível.

Reflexões sobre o corpo e sobre os espaços. Reflexões sobre quem somos e onde somos.

Maravilhoso ❤


--

"Ademais, este corpo é leve, é transparente, é imponderável; nada é menos coisa que ele: corre, age, vive, deseja, deixa-se atravessar sem resistência por todas as minhas intenções. É verdade! Mas somente até ao dia em que adoeço (...) então aí deixo de ser leve, imponderável... Torno-me coisa, arquitetura fantástica e arruinada."

"... a ideia de constituir um espaço de todos os tempos, como se este próprio espaço pudesse estar definitivamente fora do tempo, essa é uma ideia totalmente moderna: o museu e a biblioteca são heterotopias próprias à nossa cultura."

[Rika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foucault decía que quería usuarios, no lectores, y ciertamente pienso usarlo en mi tfg.

[Nat Baldino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant theory, convoluted execution, but that is mostly likely a failure of transcription from lecture to written word.

I'd also critique Foucault in this instance for failing to consider as heterotopia spaces of sexual deviance based on class, as well as ghettos more generally. Seemed surprising considering how explicitly his theory seems to point toward these spaces.

Would like to put this work in dialogue with Cathy Cohen's "deviance as resistance"

[Polytimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Rui Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two interesting new concepts, but both texts are too short to show how can this ideas be of any use to our lives/worldviews.

[Arda · Rating 4 out of 5]

On power - Foucault this!

[Duha · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think i understand?

[Faith Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this probably 5 times and only barely understand it but like all of Foucault’s work it’s essential for understanding the spaces of control of bodies, memories, and social structures

[Nicoleta Giurgi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk 😀

[dylan jozkow · Rating 5 out of 5]

thesis time thesis time thesis time

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hace pensar.

[kylee walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

wrote an essay on this

[Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usei a leitura desse livro como exercício pra estudar francês, lendo o original e traduzindo em um caderno, pra depois confrontar com a tradução em português. Divertido, pois Foucault usa uma linguagem muito simples e acessível para alguém que, como eu, tem como alma mater o Duolingo.

Quanto aos textos, entrei no livro animado para o As Heterotopias, achando que relacionaria muito com o campo da Geografia, mas não me surpreendeu muito. Por outro lado, gostei muito d'O corpo utópico.

E, por último, edição de qualidade muito boa, mas é o que espero da facada publishing house.

[Erica]

«Bisognerebbe forse anche dire che fare l'amore è sentire il proprio corpo richiudersi su di sé, esistere finalmente fuori di ogni utopia, con tutta la propria densità, tra le mani dell'altro. Sotto le dita dell'altro che vi percorrono, tutte le parti invisibili del vostro corpo si mettono a esistere, contro le labbra dell'altro le vostre diventano sensibili, davanti ai suoi occhi semichiusi il vostro volto acquista una certezza: c'è finalmente uno sguardo per vedere le vostre palpebre chiuse. L'amore, anche l'amore, come lo specchio e come la morte, placa l'utopia del vostro corpo, la fa tacere, la calma, l'imprigiona come in una scatola, la chiude e la sigilla. È per questo che l'amore è un parente così stretto dell'illusione dello specchio e della minaccia della morte; e se, nonostante queste due figure pericolose che lo circondano, ci piace tanto fare l'amore, è perché nell'amore il corpo è qui.»

[Gaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bisognerebbe forse anche dire che fare l’amore è sentire il proprio corpo rinchiudersi su di sé, esistere finalmente fuori di ogni utopia, con tutta la propria densità, tra le mani dell’altro. Sotto le dita dell’altro che vi percorrono, tutte le parti invisibili del vostro corpo si mettono a esistere, contro le labbra dell’altro le vostre diventano sensibili, davanti ai suoi occhi semichiusi il vostro volto acquista una certezza: c’è finalmente uno sguardo per vedere le vostre palpebre chiuse.
Anche l’amore, come lo specchio e come la morte, placa l’utopia del vostro corpo, la fa tacere, la calma, la ripone come in una scatola, la chiude e la sigilla. È per questo che l’amore è così vicino all’illusione dello specchio e alla minaccia della morte. E se, nonostante sia circondato da queste due figure pericolose, ci piace tanto fare l’amore, è perché nell’amore il corpo è qui.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very relevant read, especially in the context of societies in which space is fraught with contesting significations that criss-cross between the political and the cultural (i.e. Singapore). The notion of 'other spaces' is more pervasively performed in our social geography than we care to admit. Stay for the pleasantly enlightening conclusion (hint: it's about ships)!

[Seamusin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of the Heterotopia is pretty powerful and useful, but by the beard of Zeus was this a convoluted read. Perhaps it's the translation, perhaps it's because it's transcribed - either way, skip the article, read the fine Wikipedia page and avoid this labyrinthe.

[Stéphanie Andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this essay i didnt really see the point in it, but after reaserching a bit about Foucault i get why he´s saying what he's saying, and made me see the text in another light. Its interesting but i dont think it adds anything to my life

[Lorenzo Galgó · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super buen libro, corto conciso y asequible, creía conocer menos cosas de las que hablaba pero son conceptos muy ambientales en discusiones actuales sobre historia/ arte contemporáneo, arquitectura o poder, la verdad es una buena herramienta.

[L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

un saggino adorabile

[K. R. B. Moum · Rating 5 out of 5]

unbearably interesting!!!

[Ndrunella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foucault è sempre complesso, ma tra le maglie dei suoi discorsi si può scorgere sempre un verità che non si sapeva di sapere già.