Open AccessForms of the balcony as heterotopias
Author(s) -
Mihai Burlacu,
AUTHOR_ID
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bulletin of the "transilvania" university of braşov. series vii, social sciences and law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2066-771X
pISSN - 2066-7701
DOI - 10.31926/but.ssl.2020.13.62.2.8
Subject(s) - heterotopia (medicine) , michel foucault , epistemology , sociology , order (exchange) , meaning (existential) , aesthetics , philosophy , political science , law , genetics , finance , politics , economics , biology
In my paper, I argue that some forms or instances of the balcony can be considered heterotopias. Drawing upon Foucault`s (1967) “heterotopology”, I approach the ways in which balconies entail multi- layered encodings of meaning in places that are both openings and also “conceal curious exclusions” (Foucault, 1967/2008, p. 21). Firstly, I review Foucault’s groundwork and several theoretical developments regarding heterotopias. Next, I use Geertz’s (1973) “thick description” in order to offer a brief account of three forms of the balcony, which could be placed within Foucault’s systematic description of heterotopias.