Scientia sexualis versus ars erotica: Foucault, van Gulik, Needham

Rocha, Leon Antonio (2011) Scientia sexualis versus ars erotica: Foucault, van Gulik, Needham. Sudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 42 (3). pp. 328-343. ISSN 1369-8486

Full content URL: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2011.01.003

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Scientia sexualis versus ars erotica: Foucault, van Gulik, Needham

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Abstract

This paper begins with a discussion of the scientia sexualis/ars erotica distinction, which Foucault first advances in History of Sexuality Vol. 1, and which has been employed by many scholars to do a variety of analytical work. Though Foucault has expressed his doubts regarding his conceptualization of the differences between Western and Eastern discourses of desire, he never entirely disowns the distinction. In fact, Foucault remains convinced that China must have an ars erotica. I will explore Foucault’s sources of authority. To this end, I introduce the work of famous Dutch sinologist Robert Hans van Gulik, who published the tremendously influential Sexual Life in Ancient China in 1961, and also explore Joseph Needham’s view on Chinese sex. I argue that, Foucault, in his fierce polemic against the “Repressive Hypothesis”, himself imagined a utopian Other where pleasure and desire were organised differently. I end on a discuss on Orientalism and the project of “Sinography” of comparative literature scholars Haun Saussy, Eric Hayot and others.

Keywords:Scientia sexualis, Ars erotica, Michel Foucault (1926–1984), Robert van Gulik (1910–1967), Joseph Needham (1900–1995), Sinography
Subjects:V Historical and Philosophical studies > V340 Intellectual History
V Historical and Philosophical studies > V140 Modern History
L Social studies > L320 Gender studies
V Historical and Philosophical studies > V241 Chinese History
V Historical and Philosophical studies > V380 History of Science
Divisions:College of Arts > School of History & Heritage > School of History & Heritage (History)
ID Code:34977
Deposited On:15 Feb 2019 10:04

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