Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 12:01:34 +1000
Subject: Re: Baudrillard's seduction


Ian says
>    Matthew, your reference to Steiner spurred me to take a look again at
>Foucault's response ('Monstrosities of criticism'), during a coffee break.
>It is incredible, and I felt I should share it's best gem with the
>list--it's opening.  It reaffirmed to me all anew why I continue to read
>the man ...

I have to agree with you - I love this text - it is beautifully written,
very amusing, but very cutting and the reply to Steiner's reply is even
more savage but still a virtuoso and amusing performance. Foucault is a
very good debater!

>Does anyone know,
>   a) if Foucault ever debated in a public forum with Jean Baudrillard?
>I'm pretty sure if they ever did it was never transcribed.
>   b) why Foucault chose not to respond to Baudrillard's _Oublier Foucault_
>(which reportedly was written for _Critique_, of which Foucault was the
>editor)?

I don't know about (a) but I read somewhere (I forget where) that Foucault
was very offended by Baudrillard's piece and refused to speak to him for
years afterwards. Personally I thought Baudrillard's critique of the
problems with Foucualt's notion of power were spot on. I suspect (totally
unsubstatiated suspicion of course) that Baudrillard's critique might have
been helped Foucault in his subsequent revision (in 1982 'Power and the
subject') of his notions of power.

Clare

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Clare O'Farrell
email:c.ofarrell-AT-qut.edu.au
web page: http://www.qut.edu.au/edu/cpol/foucault/
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