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Foucault's Challenge to Critical Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Stephen K. White
Stephen K. White*
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University
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Abstract

Power, subjectivity, otherness, and modernity are concepts that contemporary political theorists increasingly find to be closely interwoven. In search of an adequate comprehension of the interrelationships among these concepts, I examine the work of Michel Foucault and Jürgen Habermas. I argue that Foucault, although he is provocatively insightful on a number of key points, ultimately provides a less satisfactory account than Habermas. The core problem is Foucault's inability to conceptualize juridical subjectivity, something which is necessary if he is going to connect his notion of aesthetic subjectivity with his endorsement of new social movements.

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Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 80 , Issue 2 , June 1986 , pp. 419 - 432
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1986

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