| REVIEWS
A selection of the best from recent issues of the Philosopher
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towards a Gay Hagiography |
| The Philosopher's verdict: wisely refuses to be drawn in | Saint Foucault - towards a Gay Hagiography
by David Halperin, Oxford University Press, 1995, 246pp. £14.99 HB ISBN 0-19-509371-2 |
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David Halperin's book explores the contextualisation of Foucault as a homosexual man and through this he examines the response of homosexuals a distinct culture. From the start he refuses to be drawn into what he regards as anachronistic discussions about homosexuality in favour of a methodology which regards it as given. Nevertheless, Halperin's contemplation of Foucault raises for him whether what he is looking at has an inherent reality or whether, rather, myth must always obscure those who are contemplated at length. Halperin understands that sexuality can be crucial in the sense that it has itself political consequences which reflect key concerns for 20th century man, now that mere survival is not all. The book basically consists of two essays. In the first Foucault is considered as having been taken hostage by homosexual cultural activists to be used as a political tool. Foucault's ideas of power, which are plural, are, rather, indicators of withdrawal from activism and power struggle. But it is this plurality that has allowed the use of the homosexual lens to challenge the givens of the status quo which otherwise would be unseen beneath its 'hands off' liberalism of the state as non-interfering provider. But Foucault's real message must be his own, not one that is hijacked. Halperin's suggestion is that the fashioning of a homosexual identity must be relational, and has value when offers the whole of society means of transformation. In the second essay Halperin tries to explain how it is that Foucault's life, not merely his writings, has become for some a role-model for those who seek to identify themselves with both an intellectual 'gayicisation' of human experience and who wish to consider its reflection upon themselves in dialogue with Foucault. The biographers are partly responsible and their writing~ are analysed. This is done with fair mindedness, though the use of extracts of Foucault's writings is criticised on methodological grounds. One wonders whether there are better ways of illustrating a case. Halperin, perhaps wisely, does not offer us much of a conclusion. He has washed his hands at length, and interestingly in his own views, but he will not dignify his remarks with words like 'truth'. Perhaps what is most telling of all, however, is that it probably is true to say that the great majority of those who would wish to identify with the 'gay community' have probably never heard of Michel Foucault or his shrine. Reviewed by Russell Bentley
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