Theory of Space/s: Rereading Foucault's 'Heterotopias' and its Various Implications

The term ‘heterotopia’ was used by Foucault in one of his lectures given to a group of architectural students in 1967. This lecture was published in 1986 in an essay entitled ‘Of Other Spaces’. Although this is a theory to be explored for exploring spatial relations in the field of architecture, its implications could be extended to various other fields. Foucault, in this lecture proposes ideas and new ways of thinking about ‘space’ or ‘spaces’ in a globalized world where heterotopias are like “counter-sites”. A concept which has been considered ambiguous and incomplete in its attempts of definition by some has also remained a topic of much discussion and debate for many. It serves as a base for understanding complex urban spaces in a globalised society. These spaces form a part of our modern urbanized identities and cultures as well and according to Foucault, the concept of heterotopias is like a disruptive force, a way to think about things differently. Foucault’s lecture historicizes the concept of spatial existence and probes into the problem of juxtaposing heterotopias with real spaces of our existence. He talks about tensions and contradictions in these sites of contradiction which has been existing since the conception of civilization. Foucault, while theorizing with the post -modern condition of existential reality in the modern European world, has also pointed out several real spaces that serve as examples for heterotopias. Foucault’s theory about the formation of the ideal subject in ‘different spaces’ or ‘other spaces’ are dealt with in his later work Discipline and Punish. His own published lecture is however insufficient in this respect and there are a handful of scholars who have been working on elaborating and extending his theories in their research works. This paper will discuss the concept of heterotopias as implied by Foucault and few other scholars working in the same field