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Heterotopia and structuralism

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Heterotopia and structuralism. / Saldanha, Arun.
In: Environment and Planning A, Vol. 40, No. 9, 2008, p. 2080-2096.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Saldanha, A 2008, 'Heterotopia and structuralism', Environment and Planning A, vol. 40, no. 9, pp. 2080-2096. https://doi.org/10.1068/a39336

APA

Saldanha, A. (2008). Heterotopia and structuralism. Environment and Planning A, 40(9), 2080-2096. https://doi.org/10.1068/a39336

Vancouver

Saldanha A. Heterotopia and structuralism. Environment and Planning A. 2008;40(9):2080-2096. doi: 10.1068/a39336

Author

Saldanha, Arun. / Heterotopia and structuralism. In: Environment and Planning A. 2008 ; Vol. 40, No. 9. pp. 2080-2096.

Bibtex

@article{41b845457d7f4f289eb91b4e2033585b,
title = "Heterotopia and structuralism",
abstract = "The concept of heterotopia was introduced and immediately abandoned by Michel Foucault in 1966 – 67, but it quickly diffused across human geography, urban theory, and cultural studies during the 1990s. Notwithstanding the deserved impact of Foucault{\textquoteright}s overall work on these fields, there are some conceptual problems with the heterotopia concept. While the desire for a single term to probe spatial difference is understandable, the author takes issue with the kind of space envisioned in heterotopology. From a close reading of Foucault{\textquoteright}s notes, and with the help of Deleuze, Derrida, and Althusser, it is suggested that the spatiality of Foucault{\textquoteright}s heterotopology repeats certain flaws of the structuralism in vogue in 1960s France. In order for heterotopias to be {\textquoteleft}absolutely different{\textquoteright} from {\textquoteleft}all the rest{\textquoteright} of space, Foucault needs to posit a totality to society and to perform a {\textquoteleft}slice of time{\textquoteright}. The author ends by briefly examining how the structuralist tendency of heterotopology has pervaded some recent Anglophone adoptions of Foucault. As both geography and postcolonial theory have shown, slicing time often conceals particularist suppositions and is therefore inadequate to account for the multiplicity and unevenness of geographical change.",
keywords = "heterotopia, structuralism, Foucault, space, poststructuralism, Althusser, Derrida",
author = "Arun Saldanha",
year = "2008",
doi = "10.1068/a39336",
language = "English",
volume = "40",
pages = "2080--2096",
journal = "Environment and Planning A",
issn = "0308-518X",
publisher = "SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC",
number = "9",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Heterotopia and structuralism

AU - Saldanha, Arun

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - The concept of heterotopia was introduced and immediately abandoned by Michel Foucault in 1966 – 67, but it quickly diffused across human geography, urban theory, and cultural studies during the 1990s. Notwithstanding the deserved impact of Foucault’s overall work on these fields, there are some conceptual problems with the heterotopia concept. While the desire for a single term to probe spatial difference is understandable, the author takes issue with the kind of space envisioned in heterotopology. From a close reading of Foucault’s notes, and with the help of Deleuze, Derrida, and Althusser, it is suggested that the spatiality of Foucault’s heterotopology repeats certain flaws of the structuralism in vogue in 1960s France. In order for heterotopias to be ‘absolutely different’ from ‘all the rest’ of space, Foucault needs to posit a totality to society and to perform a ‘slice of time’. The author ends by briefly examining how the structuralist tendency of heterotopology has pervaded some recent Anglophone adoptions of Foucault. As both geography and postcolonial theory have shown, slicing time often conceals particularist suppositions and is therefore inadequate to account for the multiplicity and unevenness of geographical change.

AB - The concept of heterotopia was introduced and immediately abandoned by Michel Foucault in 1966 – 67, but it quickly diffused across human geography, urban theory, and cultural studies during the 1990s. Notwithstanding the deserved impact of Foucault’s overall work on these fields, there are some conceptual problems with the heterotopia concept. While the desire for a single term to probe spatial difference is understandable, the author takes issue with the kind of space envisioned in heterotopology. From a close reading of Foucault’s notes, and with the help of Deleuze, Derrida, and Althusser, it is suggested that the spatiality of Foucault’s heterotopology repeats certain flaws of the structuralism in vogue in 1960s France. In order for heterotopias to be ‘absolutely different’ from ‘all the rest’ of space, Foucault needs to posit a totality to society and to perform a ‘slice of time’. The author ends by briefly examining how the structuralist tendency of heterotopology has pervaded some recent Anglophone adoptions of Foucault. As both geography and postcolonial theory have shown, slicing time often conceals particularist suppositions and is therefore inadequate to account for the multiplicity and unevenness of geographical change.

KW - heterotopia

KW - structuralism

KW - Foucault

KW - space

KW - poststructuralism

KW - Althusser

KW - Derrida

U2 - 10.1068/a39336

DO - 10.1068/a39336

M3 - Journal article

VL - 40

SP - 2080

EP - 2096

JO - Environment and Planning A

JF - Environment and Planning A

SN - 0308-518X

IS - 9

ER -