Friday, 24 February 2012

Heterotopia

Michael Foucault


Philosopher Michael Foucault discusses the concept of Heterotopia "other spaces"  with particular reference to cemeteries.
Cemeteries do have an atmosphere of another place, one is aware of the city below ground the 'city of the dead'. No matter how rational we are few of us would choose to spend a night in a cemetery.


http://foucault.info/documents/heteroTopia/foucault.heteroTopia.en.html


'As an example I shall take the strange heterotopia of the cemetery. The cemetery is certainly a place unlike ordinary cultural spaces. It is a space that is however connected with all the sites of the city, state or society or village, etc., since each individual, each family has relatives in the cemetery.............