POWER, SPACE, AND KNOWLEDGE: THEOLOGICAL-AESTHETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MICHEL FOUCAULT’S CONTRIBUTION TO POST-COLONIAL THEORY

Abstract

Although the somewhat enigmatic French philosopher Michel Foucault can be described as one of the most influential and debated French philosophers of the last four decades, and although the corpus of literature on his contributions is still growing, it can also be said that the literature that endeavours to interpret him through theological lenses, is still sporadic. 3 He himself seldom commented on actual religious phenomena. 4 However, several dimensions of Foucault's oeuvre hold potential for theological re-appropriation, for instance his understandings of power, aesthetics (space), and epistemology. 5 In this article, I briefly investigate Foucault's innovative notions of power, space, and knowledge, before offering some theological-aesthetical perspectives on Foucault's contribution to post-colonial theory.