At A Glance: Who was Michel Foucault?

Michel Foucault (born Paul-Michel Foucault) was born in Poitiers, France on October 15, 1926. Foucault studied structures of power through a historical, philosophical, sociological and political lens. Foucault analyzed the institutions of the hospital, prison, psychiatry facilities. He was able to reveal a discursive power operating to organize and structure the world around us (hence, his association as a Structuralist, from which he eventually distanced himself).

By excelling in his studies, Foucault was admitted to France's highest academic institution, l'Ecole Normale Superieure. Foucault was inspired by the philosophies of Kant and Nietzsche. In his early career, he taught in different universities across France, teaching a variety of courses in the fields of psychology, sociology and philosophy.

Throughout his life, Foucault lived for social activism. In the mid-1950s he affilated with the Communist Party in France but later disagreed with their political motivations. In May of 1968, he witnessed the student riots in Tunisia. These riots inspired him to support a variety of while teaching in France. He joined the Maoist group Gauche Proletarienne and founded Prison Information Group, which was inspired by his work Discipline and Punish. In 1979, Foucault participated in an extensive analysis and critique of the Iranian Revolution.

Living as a gay man, Foucault experienced serious depression in his youth. In the 1970s, his work lead him to study the structures of gender and understanding of sexuality and the body. Only openly gay in his inner-circle, he remained quietly active in gay politics and activism. After his death on June 25th, 1984, it was discovered that he was a victim of the AIDS virus. It is debated whether or not he was aware of his illness.

Foucault's work has been challenged and critiqued during his life and posthumously. Though problematic, his work is a useful tool and starting point for revealing the underlying structures that organize the world around us.




Image taken from: http://www.manoelmotta.com.br/livros/repensar-a-politica-o-novo-e-sexto-dos-ditos-e-escritos-de-michel-foucault

Sources:
Wikipedia. n.d. Michel Foucault. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Foucault (Accessed 18-AUG-2010).
Filllingham, Lydia Alix. 1993. Foucault For Beginners. Danbury, CT: For Beginners LLC.