Blackwell Reference Online

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French philosopher and historian of ideas, born in Poitiers, Professor of the history of systems of thought at the College de France from 1970. Usually called a structuralist or post-structuralist, Foucault developed a distinctive approach to intellectual history, focusing on what he called the deep structure that determines the conditions of the possibility of knowledge in a particular period rather than on individual thinkers or human subjects. One of his major concerns was to trace how our present form of knowledge came to be. He held that the notion of the self is historically specific and that the order of words is more important than the order of things for our understanding. He sought to explain changes in systems of discourse by connecting knowledge with power or social control and held that prevailing social attitudes are manipulated by those in power. Foucault's methodology centered on his “archaeology of knowledge” and later his “genealogy of language.” His major works include Madness and Civilisation (1961), The Order of Things (1966), The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969), Discipline and Punish (1975), History of Sexuality (3 vols., 1976–84). ... log in or subscribe to read full text