Michel Foucault Books
Michel Foucault (1926-1984), born in Poitiers, France, was a superstar academic of the twentieth century. He served as director of the Institute Français in Hamburg, Germany, and at the Institute de Philosophie at the Faculté des Lettres in the University of Clermont-Ferrand, France. Foucault wrote articles for newspapers, numerous essays and ground-breaking books such as The History of Sexuality. He also held at a chair at the Collège de France.
What's Discipline & Punish about?
Discipline & Punish (1975) is a celebrated work of renowned French philosopher and sociologist Michel Foucault. Foucault studies the history of forms of power, punishment, discipline and surveillance from the French Ancien Régime through to more modern times, seeing it as a reflection of a changing society.
Who should read Discipline & Punish?
- Concerned citizens worried about the overreach of mass surveillance
- Philosophers, historians, cultural scientists and sociologists
- Anyone interested in modern prisons
Madness and Civilization
What's Madness and Civilization about?
Madness and Civilization (1961) explores the bumpy road taken by European society in learning how to understand and treat mental illness. Famed philosopher and critic Michel Foucault offers insight into civilization’s troubled history of treating the mentally ill as social outcasts, wild animals and misbehaving children.
Who should read Madness and Civilization?
- Historians of Europe and medicine
- Those who want a greater understanding of mental illness and psychiatric institutions
- Readers interested in French philosophers and sociologists
What's The Order of Things about?
The Order of Things (1966) is a philosophical examination of our most basic beliefs about knowledge. With depth and skill, it exposes the shaky foundations holding up society’s perceived truths and argues that much of what we know actually just relies on chance.
Who should read The Order of Things?
- Philosophers interested in theories of language and knowledge
- Students of history and science
- Critical thinkers questioning modern scientific paradigms