Discipline & Institutions, Individuality & Desire: Foucault, Derrida, Jameson and Rorty
Jan 18, 2016
Discipline & Institutions, Individuality & Desire:
Foucault, Derrida, Jameson and Rorty
Presentation Aims and Outline
• To discuss the key terms and main arguments of the essays by Foucault, Derrida, Jameson and Rorty
• To question the relationships between these four essays through group discussion
Michel Foucault
“Panopticism”Taken from Surveiller et Punir (1975)
Key Terms for Foucault
• Panopticon -
• “discipline” –
Foucault’s Main Arguments
Jacques Derrida
“The Principle of Reason: The University in the Eyes of Its
Pupils”Essay printed in Diacritics (1983)
Cornell University, Ithaca
Key Terms for Derrida
• raison d’être –
• “au large” –
• gegrundet -
Derrida’s Main Arguments
Fredric Jameson
“Postmodernism &
Consumer Society”
Combination of “Postmodernism and
Consumer Society” (1983) and “Postmodernism: The Cultural
Logic of Late Capitalism” (1984)
The Bonaventure Hotel
Key Terms for Jameson
• postmodernism –
• pastiche (versus parody) –
• la mode rétro –
• “postmodern hyperspace” –
Jameson’s Main Arguments
Richard Rorty
“The Inspirational
Value of Great Works of
Literature”Taken from Achieving our
Country (1998)
Key Terms for Rorty
• “knowingness” –
• “analytic philosophy” –
• “inspirational value” –
Rorty’s Main Arguments
Questions for Discussion
• Is Bentham’s Panopticon similar to Derrida’s university? How are sight or vision relevant in both Foucault’s and Derrida’s arguments?
• Is Rorty’s idea of the “inspirational value” of literature conservative? Does it conflict with Jameson’s definition of the postmodern in art?
• How does individuality figure in each of the four essays? What about power?
• What is the value of education or the university? What is the value of “great works of literature”?
Works CitedDerrida, Jacques. “”The Principle of Reason: The University in the
Eyes of Its Pupils.” Everyday Theory. Eds. Becky McLaughlin and Bob Coleman. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. 104-126.
Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism.” Everyday Theory. Eds. Becky McLaughlin and Bob Coleman. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. 163-187.
Jameson, Fredric. “Postmodernism and Consumer Society.” Everyday Theory. Eds. Becky McLaughlin and Bob Coleman. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. 201-215.
Rorty, Richard. “The Inspirational Value of Great Works of Literature.” Everyday Theory. Eds. Becky McLaughlin and Bob Coleman. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. 147-154.
* Bibliographic Information Taken From:<http://www.wikipedia.org/>
Image Sources
• Figure 1 - <http://www.fsu.edu/>• Figure 2 & 3 - <http://www.wikipedia.org/>• Figure 4 - <http://www.wikipedia.org/>• Figure 5 - <http://www.cornell.edu/>• Figure 6 -
<http://sun3.lib.uci.edu/indiv/scctr/wellek/jameson/>• Figure 7 - <http://www.coloradocollege.edu/>• Figure 8 - <http://www.at-la.com/westinbv/>• Figure 9 - <http://www.feldmanfurniture.com/>