Gavin Kendall - Using Foucaults Methods

USING FOUCAULTS METHODS

INTRODUCING QUALITATIVE METHODS provides a series of volumes which introduce qualitative research to the student and beginning researcher. The approach is interdisciplinary and international. A distinctive feature of these volumes is the helpful student exercises.

One stream of the series provides texts on the key methodologies used in qualitative research. The other stream contains books on qualitative research for different disciplines or occupations. Both streams cover the basic literature in a clear and accessible style, but also cover the cutting edge issues in the area.

SEMES EDITOR

David Silverman (Goldsmiths College)

EDITORIAL BOARD

Michael Bloor (University of Wales, Cardiff)

Barbara Czarniawska-Joerges (University of Gothenburg)

Norman Denzin (University of Illinois, Champagne)

Barry Glassner (University of Southern California)

Jaber Gubrium (University of Florida, Gainesville)

Anne Murcott (South Bank University)

Jonathan Potter (Loughborough University)

TITLES IN THE SERIES

Doing Conversation Analysis: A Practical Guide

Paul ten Have

Using Foucaults Methods

Gavin Kendall and Gary Wickham

USING FOUCAULTS METHODS

Gavin Kendall

and

Gary Wickham

Gavin Kendall and Gary Wickham 1999

First published 1999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0 7619 5716 2

ISBN 0 7619 57170 (pbk)

Library of Congress catalog record available

Typeset by Type Study, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Printed in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, Guildford, Surrey

As is obvious from even a glance at the catalogue of any academic publisher, much recent research has been conducted in the shadow of Foucault. While researchers in this emerging tradition make use of some standard qualitative methods in the social sciences including textual analysis, observation and historical inquiry they also introduce into social interpretation an extra dimension: a new way of understanding the intersection of power and knowledge.

In this book we set out the various ways in which Foucaults work has been taken up by social analysts to exploit this extra dimension in such a way that postgraduate and undergraduate students can adapt it to their needs.

Our book is organised around two themes:

1 History, archaeology, genealogy and discourse as the cornerstones of Foucaults methods.

2 Science and culture as important objects of analysis for those using Foucaults methods.

The books five main chapters are organised into two parts in line with these two themes. is a summary conclusion. Each chapter has exercises built into it to illustrate its main methodological points.

We employ a style which we hope encourages students passion for Foucault but directs it to the many ways in which Foucaults methods (and those of his friends) have been used in the analysis of social order. This involves us adopting the perspective of various quizzical students as they attempt to make sense of the material in terms of their own ambitions as scholars.

Some cautionary remarks are necessary before we begin the book proper. First of all, it may be suggested that there are no such persons as Foucaultians and that there is no such thing as a Foucaultian method (for example, Megill [1985] argues that Foucaults approach was so unmethodological that his only apparently methodological text, The Archaeology of Knowledge, was really a spoof). As we discuss in place for a text which tries to introduce some basic themes in research of this type; the alternative is, perhaps, to suggest that there is something mystical or inexplicable about Foucaults approach. Maybe its only possible to get across something of the spirit of Foucaults inquiries, but, even if we can only go that far, we think its worth trying to give as straightforward an introduction as possible.

Second, our book has its origins in a certain disquiet about Foucaults reception in the academic world. Too often he is presented as one of the postmoderns, which has meant that many hastily write him off as one of those wild, slightly mad French theorists. To the contrary, we regard Foucault as a most careful investigator. His work is not the product of idle speculation or groundless grand theorising, but emerged from a huge amount of very careful research. It is also the case that Foucaults work does not fit very well into either the camp of critical research we do not think Marxism or feminism, for example, can be easily added on to Foucaults insights or the camp of liberal research by which we mean that Foucaults thoroughgoing scepticism about such notions as truth, progress or values means that it is difficult to see his work as building on other work in similar areas. This curious position that Foucault occupies means that while he is frequently name-checked, his approach is rarely taken seriously

Third, a great deal of the book concerns itself with science studies, especially with the work of Bruno Latour. We are not sure whether Latour would mind being included in a book of Foucaultian methods; while Foucaults name crops up fairly regularly in Latours early work, it seems to have slowly disappeared from his intellectual horizon (judging by whom he cites, at any rate). We are not dogmatic about this: we see Latours approach as broadly reconcilable with Foucaults, and it is important for our purposes because it demonstrates a way of doing Foucaultian research which is not necessarily historical.

Although we take full responsibility for any solecisms contained within this book, we thank the following for their help with anything that is good about it: James Butterfield, Jo Goodie, Jeremy Kendall, Kate Kendall, Trisha Kendall, Ivan Krisjansen, Jeff Malpas, Mike Michael, Clare OFarrell, Clifford Shearing, Katherine Sheehan, and especially our encouraging series editor, David Silverman. We also thank the staff at Sage for making working on this book such a pleasant experience.