1. CIV Class 2 january 23, 2015
Two approaches to analyzing cultural history
Michel Foucault
TS Kuhn
Analyzing art

2. The Archeology and Genealogy Of Discursive Formations
Michel Foucault
The Archeology and Genealogy
Of Discursive Formations

3. Discursive Formations
The everyday structures that govern knowledge in a culture.
Established by particular discourse practices.
As archeology: One present at time; little overlap--not much transition between them.
As genealogy: generations, with overlapping relationships

4. Discursive Formations as Archeology

6. Discursive Formations as Genealogy

7. Rules Governing Discursive Formations
What can be said/written?
Who can speak/write?
Rules for theories/accepted knowledge

8. Rules which control the appearance of discourse: What can be said?
Prohibitions for speaking of certain things.
Rules which establish institutional bodies as proper authorities and spokespeople for the creation of an object of discourse.

9. Rules concerning who is allowed to speak/write
Each culture listens to some and discredits others.
Credibility is given based on the accomplishment of certain conditions.
Certain ways of producing discourse enable credible listening.
Rules for ritual production.
Rules for particuarly acceptable sites.

10. Rules for proper forms concepts and theories must assume to be accepted as knowledge
The proper arrangement of sayings.
Stylistic rules
Only certain people may participate in generating certain types of rules.

11. Searching Archeology/Genelogy for Discursive Formations
Uncover regularities in discursive practices, particularly the everyday.
Investigate contradictions and see how the current formation makes them fit.
Make comparative descriptions of similar discursive practices in different formations.
See change as a succession made possible by events, not merely as chronology.
How do networks of power relations work in all this?

12. T.S. Kuhn
Paradigms and the
Structure of Scientific Revolutions

13. Challenges the usual historical take on “normal science”
Opposes the idea that science is additive, chronological, and regular
Anti-development-by-accumulation
Instead, proposes that science happens within PARADIGMS

14. Nature of a scientific PARADIGM
Answers currently available questions
Using currently available language, theory, world view, methods.
Doesn’t “see” questions that are outside the paradigm
At all or
As important
Treats questions and people outside the paradigm as “fringe” or worse

15. Phases of Paradigm development
Pre-paradigm (can only happen once in a given scientific field/discipline)
no consensus on any particular theory
several incompatible and incomplete theories
one of these conceptual frameworks and ultimately to a widespread consensus on terms, methods, and questions.
Phase 2- Normal Science
On we go, until,
Anomalies show up. Most get fixed; eventually, some don’t

16. Phases of Paradigm development
Phase 3- Anomalies move to Crisis.
Unresolved anomalies worry someone
Those “lunatics”/”radicals” are noisy; they get sanctioned; sometimes they go away; other times, they make progress and win out.
Phase 4- Scientific revolution: the underlying assumptions of the field are re-examined and a new paradigm is established.
Phase 5- Post-Revolution, the new paradigm's dominance is established and back we go to what looks like Normal Science

17. Phases of Paradigm development
Are incommensurable
Elements of the old and the new paradigms don’t communicate/comport well with each other

18. Kuhn presented this for SCIENCE
He did not envision applying these ideas to other cultural forces
But other people have done so, with interesting results

19. Analyzing Art “A humanities primer: How to Understand the Arts”
analyzing art (Art analysis standards)