The History of Madness

In this work, Foucault critiques the historical method and examines how the concept of madness has been understood and treated across different periods.

He focuses on the scientific, medical, philosophical, and cultural analyses of madness, highlighting the transition from medieval and humanist experiences to the modern confinement of madness in mental illness.

The book also explores the work of early psychiatrists like Philippe Pinel and Samuel Tuke, and it draws on examples from artists and thinkers such as Goya, Nietzsche, Van Gogh, and Artaud to illustrate the creative and liberating forces of madness.