Politics, Philosophy, Culture

Michel Foucault is one of the most influential, and controversial, thinkers of the twentieth century. His engagement with topics such as truth, power and language continues to exert significant influence on a huge range of disciplines, from philosophy, sociology and anthropology to history, politics, law, literature, religion and many others.Born in Poitiers, France in October 1926, Foucault studied philosophy at the prestigious École Normale Supérieure in Paris, securing degrees in both philosophy and psychology. He lectured there in philosophy and worked as a psychologist at the Höpital Sainte-Anne in the early 1950s. His thesis, Folie et Deraison: Histoire de la folie à l'âge Classique was published in 1961 and subsequently published in English as History of Madness by Routledge. It was hailed as ‘magnificent’ by the renowned historian Fernand Braudel and announced the arrival of a major new voice in philosophy. Several other now famous works followed, including The Birth of the Clinic, The Order of Things and The Archaeology of Knowledge (all published by Routledge).Foucault was also a renowned activist, campaigning tirelessly on behalf of homosexuals and for prison reform. He travelled to North America in the 1970s and 1980s to live what he termed ‘limit experiences’ and write the three volumes of his History of Sexuality. Fatally ill with AIDS, Foucault died in Paris on 25 June 1984, at the age of fifty-seven.

"…fills an important niche in presenting a significant number of Foucault's writings that otherwise would remain unavailable to an English-language audience… this work demonstrates acute insights that illuminate the so-called ‘normal’ world." – American Journal of Art Therapy"These writings evince Foucault at his most lucid. Kritzman's introduction is most helpful." – Religious Studies Review

• Foreword Lawrence D. Kritzman Introduction to the Routledge Classics Edition Lawrence D. Kritzman Self-Portraits 1. The Minimalist Self 2. Critical Theory/Intellectual History 3. An Aesthetics of Existence Theories of the Political: History, Power, and the Law 4. Politics and Reason 5. The Art of Telling the Truth 6. On Power 7. Power and Sex 8. The Dangerous Individual 9. Practicing Criticism The Politics of Contemporary Life 10. Social Security 11. Confinement, Psychiatry, Prison 12. Iran: The Spirit of a World Without Spirit 13. The Battle for Chastity 14. The Return of Morality 15. The Concern for Truth The Politics of Sexuality 16. Sexual Morality and the Law 17. Sexual Choice, Sexual Act: Foucault and Homosexuality Notes on the Power of Culture 18. The Functions of Literature 19. Contemporary Music and Its Public 20. The Masked Philosopher. Index