The Philosophy of Foucault i Continental European Philosophy This series provides accessible and stimulating introductions to the ideas of continental thinkers who have shaped the fundamentals of European philo- sophical thought. Powerful and radical, the ideas of these philosophers have often been contested, but they remain key to understanding current philosophical thinking as well as the current direction of disciplines such as political science, literary theory, comparative literature, art history, and cultural studies. Each book seeks to combine clarity with depth, introduc- ing fresh insights and wider perspectives while also providing a comprehen- sive survey of each thinker’s philosophical ideas. Published titles The Philosophy of Foucault The Philosophy of Merleau-Ponty Todd May Eric Matthews The Philosophy of Gadamer The Philosophy of Nietzsche Jean Grondin Rex Welshon The Philosophy of Habermas The Philosophy of Schopenhauer Andrew Edgar Dale Jacquette The Philosophy of Kierkegaard George Pattison Forthcoming titles include The Philosophy of Derrida The Philosophy of Kant Mark Dooley and Liam Kavanagh Jim O’Shea The Philosophy of Hegel The Philosophy of Rousseau Allen Speight Patrick Riley, Sr and Patrick Riley, Jr The Philosophy of Husserl The Philosophy of Sartre Burt Hopkins Anthony Hatzimoysis ii The Philosophy of Foucault Todd May ACUMEN iii © Todd May, 2006 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission. All rights reserved. First published in 2006 by Acumen Acumen Publishing Limited 15a Lewins Yard East Street Chesham Bucks HP5 1HQ www.acumenpublishing.co.uk ISBN-10: 1-84465-056-1 (hardcover) ISBN-13: 978-1-84465-056-9 ISBN-13: 1-84465-057-X (paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-84465-057-6 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Typeset in Classical Garamond by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong. Printed and bound by Cromwell Press, Trowbridge. iv For Kathleen, David, Rachel and Joel v vi Contents Abbreviations ix Acknowledgements xi 1 Introduction: who are we? 1 2 Archaeological histories of who we are 24 3 Genealogical histories of who we are 61 4 Who we are and who we might be 96 5 Coda: Foucault’s own straying afield 126 6 Are we still who Foucault says we are? 132 Notes 160 Further reading 164 References 165 Index 169 vii viii Abbreviations AKDL The Archaeology of Knowledge and The Discourse on Language (1972). ALCF Abnormal: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1974–1975 (2003). BC The Birth of the Clinic (1973). CS The Care of the Self (1986). CT/IH “Critical Theory/Intellectual History” (an interview with Gerard Raulet) (1988). DP Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1977). EC “The Ethics of the Concern of the Self as a Practice of Freedom” (1997). Gov. “Governmentality” (1991). HFAC Histoire de la folie à l’âge classique (1972). HS The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction (1978). HSLCF The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France 1981–1982 (2005). IP “Intellectuals and Power” (1977). MBPF “My Body, This Paper, This Fire” (1999). MC Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason (1965). NB Naissance de la biopolitique: Cours au Collège de France 1978–1979 (2004). NGH “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History” (1977). OGE “On the Genealogy of Ethics: An Overview of a Work in Progress” (1984). OT The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences (1971). PC “Practicing Criticism” (1988). QM “Questions of Method” (1991). ix