To be more positive about these kinds of collisions (such as different
linguistic theories) why don't we ask what these apparently conflicting
theories have to give each other. The old Marxist/postmodernist division
is such tired way of approaching ideas (most of the *so-called*
postmodernists were Marxists in any case - and most of them were
virulently critical of postmodernism in one way or another) and I wonder
if we don't see a similar fatigue in so many of the divisions in film
theory. For example, as wonderful and useful as some of the speculations
in cognitive approaches to film are (I am only just touching on them),
and as different as the content is, the style so often strikes me as
pure Freud - i.e. interesting philosophical speculation wearing the mask
of a categorical science (despite the quick denunciations of
psychoanalysis as 'false' in a recent posted paper).
Of course the other side of this is that heavy and easily drawn barriers
between theoretical fields tend to avoid the hard work of really
differentiating between ideas. I personally think that Chomsky's
admirable political commitment (which is not an easy one to make) is
what makes some of his linguistics ideas a little heavy-handed and we
need to discriminate between the two to some extent - and to see the use
of the linguistics in the political contexts within which it is
sometimes drawn. Likewise we might discriminate between postmodernists
and poststructuralists, between different theorists (i.e. not just
between Eagleton, Chomsky on the one hand, and Foucault, Derrida and
Deleuze on the other, but between Foucault, Derrida and Deleuze), and
between different kinds of film semiotics, cognitive models, etc. Then
we'll really be able to see what has something to give to something else
and what does not. I actually feel a little unfair comparing Sokal and
co with my first year students because my students seem to be able to
see common ground between supposedly irreconcilable theories and ideas
all the time.
This list often has contributions with a light touch and I'd be
interested to hear from any film theorists working across the
theoretical barriers.
cheers, Andrew
--
"I thought I had reached port; but I seemed to be cast
back again into the open sea" (Deleuze and Guattari, after Leibniz)
Dr Andrew Murphie - Lecturer
Media and Communication Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109
fax:612 98508240 tlf:612 98508761 email:[log in to unmask]
http://www.mcs.mq.edu.au/staff/andrew/amurphie.html
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