File spoon-archives/foucault.archive/foucault_1997/foucault.9705, message 66


Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 09:34:36 +0100
From: ccw94-AT-aber.ac.uk (COLIN WIGHT)
Subject: Re: Silence


As a non-silent participant (although what i haven't said - the silences -
may have been more coherent) I suppose I should say something. All the stuff
on surveillance and panopticism (look at Discipline and Punish) would seem
to be relevant, but it seems to me you might want to also look at Spivak on
this also, especially 'Can the Subaltern Speak?'. Also, if I remember
rightly, the discussion betwteen Foucault and assembled others called the
'confession of the flesh' does touch, very briefly, on the subject of
silence. (its in Power/Knowledge, Colin Gordon (ed.)

Obviously, silence is an ambigous notion. But I am not sure (and i am not
trying to pick a fight here) John's example really constitutes a victory for
the heroine, and even if it is it seems an, at best, ironic one. Suicide, i
presume, would have achieved the same result.

I suppose we can redescribe every defeat as a victory of sorts: the
condemned man/woman commits suicide and cheats the system of its revenge;
the army was not defeated it simply asserted it right not to fight any
longer, and in so doing denied the opposing army of its wish for a battle;
The tortured man/woman asserts their right not to talk and gets beaten to
death; I go silently into the night because.....

Thanks

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Colin Wight
Department of International Politics
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
SY23 3DA

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