Theatrical metaphors and alienation in Michel Foucault’s "History of Madness"

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13135/2704-8195/6296
Keywords: Foucault, dialectics, alienation, theatrical metaphor, surrealism

Abstract

The paper proposes an interpretation of the institution of the asylum in Foucault’s History of Madness as the culmination of a narrative in which the madman appears as a character in various theatrical scenes and settings. According to this reading, the asylum is the place where the representation of the madman’s liberation is staged. Madman’s liberation has a paradoxical aspect in that its counterpart is the loss of identity and autonomous “truth” of madness. However, in the surreal setting of the asylum also emerges the possibility of questioning “otherness” with new awareness. In the background of this interpretation, a speculative reading of Foucault’s work is proposed which highlights the aspects of continuity with Hegelian philosophy.

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Author Biography

Alice Giuliani, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Alice Giuliani (PhD) is Research Grant Holder and Adjunct Professor in Aesthetics at the Department of Education and Humanities of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. In her research she has dealt with the aesthetic aspects of the Hegelian dialectic and the possibility of a dialectical reading of Michel Foucault's History of Madness. The main theme of her current research is the philosophical interpretation of metaphor as a figure of thought and as a device for conceptual change, in the cognitive and educational spheres. She has published various articles on this topic and edited with Annamaria Contini "La metafora tra conoscenza e innovazione. Una questione filosofica" (Mimesis 2020).  She has participated in several projects on the theme of metaphor and visual metaphor as an educational resource: among these, the UNIMORE project "Conoscere per metafore - Knowing through metaphors” in the field of science education and the realisation of the exhibition "A Festive Thought. Visual metaphors in children's learning processes" at the “Loris Malaguzzi International Centre” in Reggio Emilia. He is a member of “CIRM - Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sulle Metafore”.

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Published
2021-12-21
How to Cite
Giuliani, A. (2021). Theatrical metaphors and alienation in Michel Foucault’s "History of Madness". Filosofia, (66), 147-162. https://doi.org/10.13135/2704-8195/6296
Issue
No. 66 (2021): Philosophy and Theatre
Section
Essays

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