Integrated Foucault: Another Look at Discourse and Power

Abstract

This paper argues that there is continuity in Foucault’s thought, as opposed to the common division of his work into three phases, each marking a distinct field of research – discourse, power, subject. The idea is that there are no radical turns in his work that justify this division; rather, there is a shift of focus: all crucial concepts are present (more or less [in]explicitly) in all periods of his thought and in all of his undoubtedly differently-toned and oriented works. This is shown through examining the characteristics of archaeology and genealogy, their relation, as well as the relation of discursive practices and strategies of power to knowledge. The retrospective and (re)interpretation intend to shed light on the constant interplay between concepts that demonstrate continuity in Foucault’s thought. The viewpoint, based in the integrity of Foucault’s work, offers a better starting point for understanding certain aspects of his theories.

Nasuprot uobičajenoj podeli Fukoovog rada na tri faze, koje obeležavaju različita polja razmatranja – diskurs, moć, subjekat – u ovom radu se zastupa kontinuitet njegove misli. Ideja da nema naglih preokreta koji opravdavaju oštre podele, već radije promene težišta istraživanja, da su svi ključni pojmovi, manje ili više (ne)skriveni, prisutni u svim razdobljima Fukoovog mišljenja i u svim, nesumnjivo različito orijentisanim i intoniranim spisima, ilustruje se razmatranjem karakteristika arheologije i genealogije, te njihovog odnosa, kao i odnosa diskurzivnih praksi i strategija moći prema znanju. Ta retrospektiva i (re)interpretacija Fukoove misle valjalo bi da ukaže na neprestanu saigru pojmova koja svedoče o njenom kontinuitetu. Takvo stanovište, koje se zasniva na integritetu Fukoovog dela, može da ponudi i bolju osnovu za razumevanje njegovih posebnih aspekata.