[Xmca-l] Re: Foucault

[Greg Thompson]

I thought it was Martin who had mentioned Foucault's "historical ontology
of ourselves"?

I'd love to hear more too (note this is where Martin's book The Science of
Qualitative Research leaves off. I'd love to hear the argument enlivened
once again).

Martin?
-greg

On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 9:25 AM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:

> My apologies if my "chaining" off your comment about cocktail parties
> distracted from the main point of the ongoing discussion, Phillip.
>
> Could you say more about what an historical ontology of oneself means? I
> can understand the truth of the idea that In any interaction with others,
> whether at a cocktail party or in an academic discussion group, one is
> creating one's own history and that an autobiography is a self history from
> ego's point of view. If one theorizes, then theorizing is a mode of
> activity/experience that becomes the material of autobiography.
>
> I am still back on David's earlier claim that cultural historical
> approaches to understanding human development do not view data as ways of
> testing/evaluating/improving theory. I may have gotten confused by thinking
> that the discussion on Foucault, Merleau-P, et. Were part of that
> discussion. A lot swirling around at once.
>
> A pathway out of the thicket would be gratefully received.
> Mike
>
> On Tuesday, September 16, 2014, White, Phillip <Phillip.White@ucdenver.edu
> >
> wrote:
>
> >
> > as you write, Martin, yes, they had similar descriptions of their work
> >
> > "Foucault came to describe his work overall as a "historical ontology of
> > ourselves." Certainly both Sartre and Merleau-Ponty were philosophers on
> > ontology, and of history."
> >
> > the difference is, i believe, that Foucault identified with those peoples
> > who have been marginalized: prisoners, those deemed mentally ill, and
> > homosexuals.  he said that his writings were autobiography.  and i've
> come
> > to understand my own work as a way of autobiography.  i've begun to think
> > of theory as a way of autobiography.
> >
> > i believe that i recognize a great deal of autobiography performed here
> on
> > xmca - just as one sees autobiography performed at a cocktail party.
> > (that's a great metaphor!)
> >
> > p
> >
> >
>
> --
>
> Development and Evolution are both ... "processes of construction and re-
> construction in which heterogeneous resources are contingently but more or
> less reliably reassembled for each life cycle." [Oyama, Griffiths, and
> Gray, 2001]
>



-- 
Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
882 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson