From: NADEEM OMAR <AJXNOT-AT-ccn4.ccc.nottingham.ac.uk>
Date:          Thu, 25 Jan 1996 11:59:05 GMT0BST
Subject:       Re: testing water


1.> the development of an autonomous theory.  But when 
> the project is thought of in terms of literary criticism and literary 
> history, instead of theory, then its been very productive because you don't
> have to deal with questions of universality which inevitably come when you
> are dealing with theory.  
2.> So, in answering your question i don't think the failure of 
>creating an  autonomous latin american theory has to do with the 
>weakness of the theorist or the repressive power of the academy. It 
>has more to do with the internal contradictions and problems that the 
>project has on an  epistemological level. 
> 
3.> I do remember Foucault and for that reason i'm puzzled by your 
equating > repressive power with silence.
 
Last thing first, you are puzzled for the right reasons. Its not to 
remember but to forget Foucault, if I equate repressive power with 
silence. With this admission, let me explain what I mean by silence. 
On p67[ Power/knowledge], he wrote " For perhaps, 
the silence of the enemy.....can also be an index of our failure to 
produce any such fear atall.". So this was what I mean. Leaving it 
aside can  you explain, a little, the notion of power as conflict, war 
and its realtion with repression, esp on p 92 ist para. I am really 
confused over it.

First the problem of "autonomous theory" and "universality". Do we 
mean the theory which has not to justify his global relevance in some 
ways. Perhaps it might not be useful if we leave out `literary' from 
theory and discuss it as a `theory' in general sense. If possible, 
then I am reminded of one strand of the  critique of Spivak in `Can 
Subaltern Speak', where she says Foucault archeology of knowledge(?) 
"foreclose a reading of the broader narrative of imperialism". So 
Foucault himself admoitted on p66 of P/K "finding a place for 
geography would imply that the archeology of knowledge embrace a 
project of global, exhaustive coverage of all domains of knoeldge. 
This was not all what I had in mind"
I donot know whether it make sense to us, but just a vague idea. 
Please commnet




nomar



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