In this discussion, Stuart Elden, a Professor of Political Theory and Geography at the University of Warwick, navigates the early years of Michel Foucault. Elden reveals how new archival material sheds light on Foucault's intellectual development, influenced by key mentors in post-war Paris. He highlights Foucault's struggles and transformations in his early work leading to 'The History of Madness'. The conversation also touches on Foucault's disillusionment with psychiatry and pivotal moments that shaped his trajectory, painting a compelling picture of his formative influences.
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Unexpected Growth
Stuart Elden's Foucault project expanded unexpectedly.
It started with one book and grew into a four-book series, driven by new archival discoveries.
insights INSIGHT
Intellectual Biography
Elden focuses on Foucault's intellectual development, not biographical details.
He explores Foucault's thinking and craft as a scholar using newly available archival material.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Early struggles
Foucault failed his first agrégation exam due to overambition, trying to showcase too much knowledge.
He faced intense competition at the École Normale Supérieure.
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In this book, Foucault describes the analytical method he used in his earlier works such as 'Madness and Civilization', 'The Birth of the Clinic', and 'The Order of Things'. The archaeology of knowledge is an approach to historical analysis that examines the history of discourse, the set of 'things said' in all their interrelations and transformations. It seeks to describe the processes of discourse without assuming historical unity or continuity, instead highlighting disruptions, thresholds, differences, and complex varieties. Foucault's method involves analyzing the organized dispersion of statements and discursive formations to understand the conditions that make certain expressions discursively meaningful[1][2][5].
Dream in Existence
Dream in Existence
Jacqueline Verdot
Malady Mentality Personality
Malady Mentality Personality
Jean Lacroix
Raymond Roussel
Michel Foucault
Anthropology from a pragmatic point of view
Anthropology from a pragmatic point of view
Immanuel Kant
A work by Immanuel Kant exploring the nature of humanity and its place in the world.
The birth of the clinic
An Archaeology of Medical Perception
Michel Foucault
In 'The Birth of the Clinic,' Michel Foucault examines the transformation of medical perception and practice during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He introduces the concept of the 'medical gaze,' a new way of observing and interpreting the body that shifted from theoretical constructs to direct observation and examination. Foucault argues that this shift was not merely an improvement in medical knowledge but a fundamental change in the structures of knowledge itself, reflecting broader societal and power changes. The book critiques traditional histories of medicine, highlighting how the clinic became a site of pedagogy and power, where the transmission of knowledge was tied to the practice of observation and the examination of the body. Foucault also explores the socio-political implications of these changes, including the objectification of the patient and the increasing authority of medical professionals.
The order of things
Michel Foucault
In 'The Order of Things,' Michel Foucault examines the historical development of the human sciences, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, and linguistics. He introduces the concept of 'episteme,' which refers to the underlying structure of thought that defines what is considered true and acceptable in a given historical period. Foucault analyzes how these epistemes change over time, particularly from the Classical Age to Modernity, and how they influence the fields of language, biology, and economics. The book is known for its complex and detailed analysis, including a forensic examination of Diego Velázquez's painting 'Las Meninas' to illustrate the structural parallels in perception and representation[3][4][5].
The History of Madness
A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason
Michel Foucault
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[1][2][3].
The Early Foucault
The Early Foucault
Stuart Elden
What were the key ideas and influences on Michel Foucault’s early career? In The Early Foucault (Polity Press, 2021),Stuart Elden, Professor of Political Theory and Geography at the University of Warwick and author of the Progressive Geographies blog, charts Foucault’s formative intellectual years leading up to the publication of the ground-breaking The History of Madness. The book uses a range of new archival material, much of which has been only recently accessible, to show the influence of teachers, mentors, and colleagues, as well as Foucault’s practice as an academic and writer during the 1950s and early 1960s. Telling the story of the possible intellectual trajectories, in psychology and philosophy, Foucault might have followed, along with a clear examination of the roots of his later work, the book is essential reading across the humanities and social sciences.
Dave O'Brien is Chancellor's Fellow, Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Edinburgh's College of Art.
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