Space, Place, and Mapping ILA387 Spring 2016

Michel Foucault, “Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias” (María Victoria)

Foucault approaches the concept of space as a critical historian, philosopher and social theorist. His article addresses three central questions: How can we think about the existence of various spaces and their relationships to one another? What are heterotopias and how can we imagine a systematic description that studies, analyzes, describes, and reads different and other spaces? How do the concepts of utopias and heterotopias intersect to form an understanding of space? In order to answer these questions, Foucault begins by briefly outlining select instances in the history of conceptualizing space, contrasting Medieval understandings of space to twentieth century conceptualizations of space as sets of networked and related sites. He then defines the concepts of heterotopias and utopias and how they can be used to theorize about space. He ends by presenting the six principles of Heterotopology, using an array of examples from contemporary society and history to illustrate each principle. These contextualizing examples of heterotropic spaces include cemeteries, brothels, gardens, prisons, libraries, and museums.

Even though Foucault’s accounts of heterotopia are varied, grounded in observations of everyday life,and briefly sketched, they provide space for interpretation, opening the door for scholars in various disciplines to adopt aspects of his theories and generate a diverse range of analyses and adaptations. Foucault’s central contribution is providing terminology to articulate abstract concepts surrounding space and the social interactions and power dynamics that unfold in these physical spheres of existence. The idea of place as a heterotopic entity has led to many interpretations and applications across a range of disciplines in the current context of postmodern, post-structuralist theoretical discussion. He also addresses society’s need of numerous heterotopias, not only as spaces with several places of/for the affirmation of difference, but also as means of escape from authoritarianism and repression.

At the end of the article, Foucault reinforces this need for numerous heterotopic spaces to exist simultaneously in order to counter forms of oppression  rooted in structures of power such as governments. Through an extended metaphor about boats, Foucault stresses the need for multiple co-existing heterotopias to challenge and be vigilant of dominant society. “…the boat is a floating piece of space, a place without a place, that exists by itself, that is closed in on itself and at the same time is given over to the infinity of the sea and that, from port to port, from tack to tack, from brothel to brothel, it goes as far as the colonies in search of the most precious treasures they conceal in their gardens, you will understand why the boat has not only been for our civilization, from the sixteenth century until the present, the great instrument of economic development,...but has been simultaneously the greatest reserve of the imagination. The ship is the heterotopia par excellence. In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure, and the police take the place of pirates"(9).

Critical summary by: María Victoria Fernández

Foucault, Michel. “Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias.” Translated by Jay Miskowiec. Architecture /Mouvement/Continuité, 5 (1984): 46-49.

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