Philosophy on the Architecture Table; First Course | Space, Knowledge, Power: About Foucault and Architecture

In the upcoming course, we will revisit Foucault’s works based on this approach and ask ourselves: What does he have to tell us about space (and architecture)? This question, despite its initial simplicity, requires an exploration of Foucault’s entire intellectual framework. Through establishing relationships between the scattered components of his thoughts on space and spatial matters, power relations on one side, and systems of knowledge on the other, we aim to develop something akin to a “Foucauldian Theory of Space.” Therefore, in this course, we will engage with more than just Foucault’s explicit references and implicit allusions to urban and rural areas, spatial arrangements, and architectural structures, as well as the architectural logic of power and the spatiality of knowledge. We will also examine the physical aspects of institutions such as hospitals, schools, prisons, and so forth. Our goal will be to formulate a distinctly Foucauldian theory concerning the interconnection of space, knowledge, and power. If we succeed in this endeavor, it will become clear that, despite Foucault not being ostensibly a theorist of space, what he detailed or implied about space—what he could have said about space—has the potential to fundamentally alter our analytical strategies and tactics in addressing the “issue of space.”

The topics we will discuss in the upcoming course are approximately as follows:

Session 1:

• Social Ontology: Understanding Architecture’s View of Society
• Cartography of the Present: Historical Boundaries and Mapping Escape Lines (Concerning Inside, Outside, and Borders)

Sessions 2 and 3:

• Modern Institutions and Their Architecture: Concerning the Spatiality of Knowledge and Power
• Territories and Visibility: Concerning the Eye(s) of Power

Session 4:

• Biopower and Disciplinary Apparatuses of Space: Concerning Governance and Its Architectural Imperatives
• Urban Territories and Policing Technologies: Concerning the Militarization of Space

Session 5:

• Heterotopia: Concerning Different or Alternative Spaces
• Towards the Creation of Spaces of Freedom