From: "MRFanning" <MRFanning-AT-email.msn.com> Subject: RE: power/knowledge Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 23:21:30 -0400 >Does anyone "know" what the words for "power" and "knowledge" are in French? It's interesting that they aren't the words that Foucault uses. I'm sure there are others who can answer this better than I can, I've only had four years of French and never read Foucault in French, but Foucault does not generally use the nouns "connaissance" and "puissance" which would translate literally to knowledge and power, but rather the infinitive form "pouvoir/savoir" which translates literally as "to be able to/to know". This is a big source of confusion for those whose first encounter with Foucault is in English (as mine was) because what Foucault (or perhaps his translators?) means by power is not exactly the same as the common American usage, such as in the cliche "knowledge is power". **snip** Andrew Brokos This is pretty much my understanding also, I just wanted to point to Gayatri Spivak's explication of this in "More on Power/Knowledge" which is in _The Spivak Reader_ (Routledge 1996) around pages 150-51, which is a little more detailed, but comes to the same place. Robert Fanning __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop-AT-Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/
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