Foucault, Cassian, and the paradox of monasticism

Abstract

In Foucault's enquiry, the monastery is a central place where the genealogy of governmentality, the history of avowal, and the hermeneutics of the subject intersect. This article argues that the cenobitic experience, as documented most importantly by Cassian, is a paradox in a Foucaultian perspective. Cassian's writings encapsulate the tensions observed by Foucault between obedience, asceticism, and mysticism. This paper argues that obedience goes beyond forgoing of one's will and the taming of asceticism. It is the cornerstone of a discipline of virtues. In this ascetical subjectivation, self-surrender is inseparable from a confident reliance on God.