Foundational critique revises one discourse while systemic critique transforms an entire épistémè

Evidence

I differentiate between systemic and foundational critique in the sense that the former radically transforms an épistémè and the system that it drives, including the entirety of its discursive formations, whereas the latter remains within the system but changes the epistemic foundations of a single discursive formation, with the possibility that this change may have ripple effects on other formations, but without effecting a foundational change in them. This distinction is illustrated by the nature of discursivity in Marx and Freud, the latter, as opposed to the former, having advanced a foundational critique. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 851

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes ‘systemic critique’ from ‘foundational critique’ as analytic categories for assessing intellectual work.
• XREF: The systemic/foundational distinction maps onto the reader’s interest in revolutions versus reforms as categories of institutional change.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism: A Critique of…, 851