heterotopia
nounUK /ˌhɛt(ə)ɹəˈtəʊpiə/ · US /ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/
Etymology From hetero- + -topia.
3
Human sciences, Philosophy, Sciences A space which is alien to what is normal within the society, variably presenting a utopian vision in physical form or serving to segregate subversive elements from the wider society.
Literary criticism
- Michel Foucault gave the museum and the mental hospital as two different examples of heterotopias.
- For Foucault, heterotopias are not imagined places but real places that almost delete themselves from public consciousness. They are null sites in awareness, yet inevitable and vital to the construction of space.2002, James W Flanagan, David M Gunn, Paula M McNutt, "Imagining" biblical worlds:
- Related terms
- heterotopic, heterotopology