Foucault News

News and resources on French thinker Michel Foucault (1926-1984)

Chevallier, Philippe. « Foucault avant Foucault », Archives de Philosophie, vol. 85, no. 3, 2022, pp. 151-156.
https://doi.org/10.3917/aphi.853.0151

Article en accès gratuit jusqu’au 30/07/22 sur : https://www.cairn.info/tap-gmsjcp22r371o

En 2013, la Bibliothèque nationale de France a acquis les archives de Michel Foucault, désormais réparties dans 117 boîtes de conservation, complétées depuis par quelques dons de ses proches (comprenant par exemple son mémoire de maîtrise sur Hegel). Nul n’avait soupçonné l’étendue de ce cabinet de travail temporel, témoignage de près de quarante ans de recherche, les notes les plus anciennes étant celles des cours suivis à l’École normale supérieure, qu’il intégra en 1946. Recelant à la fois des manuscrits d’œuvres, de cours, d’articles et travaux divers, augmentés de plusieurs milliers de notes de lecture, l’ensemble acquis par la BnF bouleverse notre connaissance de l’œuvre et éclaire le travail silencieux qui l’a préparée. S’il se disait fréquemment que Foucault s’astreignait à des rythmes de travail dignes d’un ouvrier à son établi, le volume et l’organisation des dossiers conservés le démontrent et confirment un travailleur hors du commun. L’arrivée à la BnF de ce trésor national, au sens légal du terme, a permis de rouvrir plusieurs chantiers éditoriaux, temporairement refermés par l’achèvement en 2015 de l’édition des cours au Collège de France. Parmi ces chantiers, les « Cours et travaux de Michel Foucault avant le Collège de France », édités sous la responsabilité de son ancien assistant François Ewald, retiennent plus particulièrement l’attention par l’éclairage qu’ils jettent sur les années où éclôt la pensée du jeune philosophe, entre l’agrégation obtenue en 1951 et sa thèse d’État soutenue en 1961 …
[…]

La Vie des hommes infâmes. Film de Gilles Deroo et Marianne Pistone (2022)

Critique : La Vie des hommes infâmes
par Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa, 07/07/2022

Gilles Deroo et Marianne Pistone sculptent une œuvre de fiction passionnante, riche et subtile sous son austérité apparente, sur les frontières de la norme sociale et de la nature humaine
[…]
Dévoilé hier en première mondiale dans la compétition internationale du 33e FIDMarseille, La Vie des hommes infâmes de Gilles Deroo et Marianne Pistone, le second long du duo français après Mouton [+] (prix spécial du jury Cineasti del presente et prix du meilleur premier film à Locarno en 2013)

[…]
“Sa folie a toujours été de se cacher à sa famille, de mener à la campagne une vie obscure, d’avoir des procès, de prêter à usure et à fonds perdus, de promener son pauvre esprit dans des routes inconnues et de se croire capable des plus grands emplois.” La préface d’un livre jamais concrétisé par le philosophe Michel Foucault sur les personnalités singulières dénoncées par leurs proches, recherchées par la police, embastillées et mises au ban du monde, sert de fil conducteur à une intrigue tissée par fragments par les deux cinéastes dans un style dépouillé extrêmement maîtrisé (avec un très impressionnant travail de déplacements posés de la caméra ou des personnages dans les petits espaces), quasi pictural et néanmoins toujours profondément incarné, qui réussit à façonner une atmosphère progressivement captivante.
[…]

Review in English

“His madness has always been to hide from his family, to lead an obscure life in the country, to have lawsuits, to lend usuriously and recklessly, to walk his poor spirit upon unknown paths, and to believe himself capable of the very greatest works.” The preface of a book which never came to fruition by philosopher Michel Foucault, homing in on unique characters who were denounced by their loved ones, tracked down by the police, imprisoned and then outcast, acts as a guiding thread to a story crafted piece by piece by the two filmmakers, in a stripped-back and highly controlled style (with an incredibly impressive exploration of movement, both by the camera and the characters in small spaces) which verges on pictorial but is always deeply embodied, and which manages to create an increasingly captivating atmosphere.

Categories: Film

Histoire de la sexualité de Michel Foucault

Épisodes
Est-ce à force de culpabiliser le plaisir qu’on le provoque et l’intensifie ?
Épisode 4/4 : Volume 4 “Les aveux de la chair”, le plaisir est-il coupable ?
Comment et pourquoi le plaisir sexuel est-il devenu coupable ? Et est-ce à force de culpabiliser le plaisir qu’on le provoque et l’intensifie ?
jeudi 23 juin 2022

58 min
Qu’est-ce qu’une bonne sexualité ?
Épisode 3/4 : Volume 3 “Le souci de soi”, pourquoi la sexualité n’est-elle pas qu’un plaisir solitaire ?
En 1984 paraît “Le souci de soi” : mais quel rapport entre le plaisir et le souci ? Comment le souci de soi peut-il organiser nos pratiques sexuelles et donner une direction morale et même politique à nos existences ?
mercredi 22 juin 2022

59 min
Le plaisir, une stylisation de soi ?
Épisode 2/4 : Volume 2 “L’usage des plaisirs”, à quoi bon se maîtriser ?
Si la construction du “je” est le résultat de normes imposées puis intériorisées, le plaisir peut-il me faire devenir un sujet autrement ? C’est ce que nous enseigne Foucault : en envisageant des plaisirs qui contrecarrent nos désirs, en modifiant son rapport à soi, dans le jeu, peut-on se “créer” ?
mardi 21 juin 2022

1h 00
Sea, sex and sun
Épisode 1/4 : Volume 1 “La volonté de savoir”, pourquoi voulons-nous tout connaître du sexe ?
Le sexe est-il le problème fondamental que les hommes ont à résoudre ? C’est ce que pense Foucault, qui en 1976 fait paraître le 1er tome de l”Histoire de la sexualité”. La sexualité que nous découvrons en nous nous appartient-elle ? Ou est-elle construite, comme tout mécanisme d’assujetissement ?
lundi 20 juin 2022

57 min
Provenant de l’émission
Les Chemins de la philosophie, du lundi au vendredi de 10h00 à 10h55 sur France Culture
La philosophie est bien plus qu’une discipline. Son but est de transformer la connaissance en art de vivre en considérant comme digne d’intérêt et de réflexion l’existence dans tous ses recoins.

Segni e Comprensione
Deadline April 15, 2023.

Interested researchers are invited to submit their paper by sending their article of no more than 60,000 characters, including spaces, to the email address fabio.sulpizio@unisalento.it by 15 April 2023.
Papers may be submitted in Italian, French, English, German or Spanish.

Michel Foucault

La morte di Michel Foucault, avvenuta nel 1984, non solo non ha arrestato la diffusione del suo pensiero ma anzi, si sarebbe tentati di affermare che gli ultimi decenni si sono definiti come una vera e propria aetas foucaultiana. Le ricerche sul pensiero di Foucault negli anni che ci separano dalla sua scomparsa si sono soffermate sui più diversi aspetti della sua speculazione e sull’influenza che ha esercitato e continua a esercitare nei più diversi ambiti del pensiero contemporaneo – dalla filosofia alla sociologia, ovviamente, alla psichiatria, alla critica letteraria al diritto penale.

In occasione del quarantennale della sua morte, quindi il CHAP (Center for Hermeneutics and Applied Phenomenology) e la rivista Segni e comprensione lanciano un Call for papers dedicato al pensiero di Michel Foucault, al suo percorso teorico, ai nodi che ne hanno caratterizzato lo sviluppo, all’influenza che ha esercitato durante la sua vita e anche negli anni successivi.

Si accetteranno tuttavia tutte quelle proposte in grado di mettere in luce aspetti rilevanti per il dialogo e il confronto tra le riflessioni di Foucault e la filosofia, le scienze umane e sociali contemporanee. Saranno considerati i contributi che abbracciano i seguenti temi, o comunque attinenti la figura, il pensiero e l’influenza dell’autore della Storia della follia:

– Approcci fenomenologici nelle ricerche di Michel Foucault.
– Storia della scienza e filosofia.
– Follia, poesia, scrittura.
– Archeologie e genealogie.
– Carceri, ospedali, scuole: forme del disciplinamento
– Foucault e i filosofi
– Corsi, manoscritti, interviste: la pluralità degli approcci all’eredità foucaultiana
– Microfisiche del potere
– Foucault e la morte dell’uomo
– Foucault e i contemporanei.
– Che cos’è l’Illuminismo?

Si invitano gli studiosi interessati a sottoporre il proprio intervento inviando all’indirizzo di posta elettronica fabio.sulpizio@unisalento.it, entro il 15 aprile 2023, l’articolo che non superi i 60.000 caratteri spazi inclusi.
Gli articoli possono essere presentati in italiano, francese, inglese, tedesco, spagnolo.

Michel Foucault

La mort de Michel Foucault en 1984 n’a non seulement pas arrêté la diffusion de sa pensée, mais on serait tenté de dire que les dernières décennies se sont définies comme un véritable aetas foucaldien. Les recherches sur la pensée de Foucault, dans les années qui ont suivi sa mort, se sont concentrées sur les aspects les plus divers de sa spéculation et sur l’influence qu’il a exercée et continue d’exercer dans les domaines les plus variés de la pensée contemporaine – de la philosophie à la sociologie, en passant bien sûr par la psychiatrie, la critique littéraire et le droit pénal.

C’est pourquoi, à l’occasion du quarantième anniversaire de sa mort, le CHAP (Center for Hermeneutics and Applied Phenomenology) et la revue Segni e comprensione lancent un appel à communications consacré à la pensée de Michel Foucault, à son parcours théorique, aux nœuds qui ont caractérisé son développement et à l’influence qu’il a exercée au cours de sa vie mais aussi dans les années qui ont suivi.

Cependant, nous accepterons toutes les propositions qui mettent en évidence des aspects pertinents pour le dialogue et la comparaison entre les réflexions de Foucault et la philosophie contemporaine, les sciences humaines et sociales. Les contributions portant sur les thèmes suivants, ou en tout cas en rapport avec la figure, la pensée et l’influence de l’auteur de l’Histoire de la folie, seront prises en considération :

– Les approches phénoménologiques dans la recherche de Michel Foucault.
– Histoire des sciences et de la philosophie.
– Folie, poésie, écriture.
– Archéologies et généalogies.
– Prisons, hôpitaux, écoles : formes de discipline
– Foucault et les philosophes
– Cours, manuscrits, entretiens : la pluralité des approches de l’héritage de Foucault
– Microphysique de la puissance
– Foucault et la mort de l’homme
– Foucault et ses contemporains.
– Qu’est-ce que les Lumières ?

Les chercheurs intéressés sont invités à soumettre leur article en envoyant leur article ne dépassant pas 60 000 caractères, espaces compris, à l’adresse électronique fabio.sulpizio@unisalento.it avant le 15 avril 2023.
Les articles peuvent être soumis en italien, français, anglais, allemand ou espagnol.

Michel Foucault

The death of Michel Foucault in 1984 not only did not stop the dissemination of his thought, but one would be tempted to say that the last decades have been defined as a true Foucauldian aetas. In the years following his death, research on Foucault’s thought has focused on the most diverse aspects of his speculation and on the influence, he has exerted and continues to exert in the most varied fields of contemporary thought – from philosophy to sociology, including of course psychiatry, literary criticism and criminal law.

For this reason, on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of his death, the CHAP (Center for Hermeneutics and Applied Phenomenology) and the journal Segni e comprensione are launching a call for papers devoted to Michel Foucault’s thought, his theoretical path, the nodes that characterized his development and the influence he exerted during his life and in the years that followed.

However, we will accept all proposals that highlight aspects relevant to the dialogue and comparison between Foucault’s reflections and contemporary philosophy, the human and social sciences. Contributions on the following themes, or in any case related to the figure, thought and influence of the author of the History of Madness, will be taken into consideration:

– Phenomenological approaches in the research of Michel Foucault.
– History of science and philosophy.
– Madness, poetry, writing.
– Archaeologies and genealogies.
– Prisons, hospitals, schools: forms of discipline
– Foucault and the philosophers
– Courses, manuscripts, interviews: the plurality of approaches to Foucault’s legacy
– Microphysics of power
– Foucault and the death of man
– Foucault and his contemporaries.
– What is the Enlightenment?

Interested researchers are invited to submit their paper by sending their article of no more than 60,000 characters, including spaces, to the email address fabio.sulpizio@unisalento.it by 15 April 2023.
Papers may be submitted in Italian, French, English, German or Spanish.

Rose, P.A.
The Tug-of-War Over Truth: A Foucauldian Case Study on the Interplay of Competing Discourses in Education
(2022) Frontiers in Education, 7, art. no. 840403

DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2022.840403

Abstract
The present study applies a Foucauldian critical analytic to investigate competing discourses in education that are shown to be present in one public high school in the southern part of the United States. It is revealed how these discourses intersect and collide with each other to reinforce certain values, principles and practices, but eventually loosely coalesce along with other social interactions into general rules and social norms within the high school. It is found that technology itself represents a separate competing discourse with its own set of unique truths, goals, language and tools that both overlap and challenge other dominant discourses. Foucault’s concepts about power and governmentality provide the deductive design for data interpretation. Teacher and school administrator retellings are examined for signs of structures of thought and discursive truths that characterize ways of thinking that represent opposing points of views about the role of technology in education and its effect on defining the “right” way to teach. A framework is proposed for understanding and comparing the discourses based on their differing views of technology. Copyright © 2022 Rose.

Author Keywords
discourses; education; Foucault (Michel); governmentality; power; public policy; teachers; technology

The Critique and Politics of Identity: On the Affinities between Critical Theory and Poststructuralism. A Conversation with Bernard E. Harcourt and Martin Saar conducted by Sarah Bianchi, Coils of the Serpent. A Journal for the Study of Contemporary Power, Issue 10, 2022, pp. 110-130.

We know what Michel Foucault, the leading poststructuralist thinker, said about early Critical Theory: “Perhaps if I had read those works earlier, I would have saved useful time, surely”. Much has already been written about the relation between poststructuralism and Critical Theory, well-known are the objections advanced in particular by the second and third generation of the Frankfurt School against poststructuralism, especially against its alleged relativism. The aim here, however, is to explore the potential affinities and their relevance today. To this end, it is instructive to have a conversation with two key thinkers in the field, Martin Saar and Bernard E. Harcourt. Martin Saar holds the chair for social philosophy at Goethe-University in Frankfurt and Bernard E. Harcourt is the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law and Professor of Political Sciences at Columbia University in New York. Critical Theory and poststructuralism play a key role in both of their work.
[…]

Hewitt, M.
How Does a Foucauldian Genealogical Approach Enhance the Study of Long-Term Care through a Critical Disability Lens?
(2022) Societies, 12 (3), art. no. 73

DOI: 10.3390/soc12030073

Abstract
Younger disabled adults in long-term care, particularly those with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses, receive care that does not fit their needs. This article looks at whether a Foucauldian genealogical approach would enhance a study that focuses on the societal values that have allowed this situation to persist. It looks at the historical and cultural contingencies of genealogy, and its ability to explore the complex power relations at play, in normalization and biopower. It concludes that there is a place for this approach–one that can be adapted from the 1970s approach of Foucault to fit power dynamics and positioning in care in the 2020s. © 2022 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords
disability; Foucault; genealogy; long-term care

Borah, R.R., Bhuvaneswari, G., Hussain, M.M.
When Worlds Collide: Using films to Understand the Heterotopic Overlaps of Multiple Worlds
(2022) ECS Transactions, 107 (1), pp. 2363-2370.

DOI: 10.1149/10701.2363ecst

Abstract
Heterotopia is an idea as put forward by Michel Foucault, from the notion of place and non-place as disruptive elements. This article explores the fascination with Foucault’s brief and sketchy idea of heterotopia in the context of cinema. We examine how the elements of heterotopias are most productively understood through the narrative of popular cinema as quintessential traits of film industry across the globe. Films like Caparhnaum, Fahrenheit 451, Interstellar, Stalker (1979), Avatar, Gulabo Sitabo(Hindi) and many more are examples of heterotopic films. These films stimulated utopian as well as dystopian affects in their audiences. The notion of heterotopia has been extensively deployed in media studies. In this paper, we discuss Caparhnaum and Fahrenheit 451 as a richly heterotopic films in which cinema worked with spaces within spaces. Using the heterotopic dichotomy the authors examine filmmaking as it reconstructs the simulated spaces. The authors also want to underscore, in cinema, what the space consists of, who occupies it, and in what ways. © The Electrochemical Society

Barry, L.
Epidemic and Insurance: Two Forms of Solidarity
(2022) Theory, Culture and Society

DOI: 10.1177/02632764221087932

Abstract
Despite their common core in statistics, insurance and epidemiology propel two different forms of solidarity. In insurance, the collective is a source of protection, thanks to the pooling of risks; in epidemics by contrast, the group remains the source of danger for the individual. The aim of this paper is to highlight the conceptions of community and solidarity at play in epidemics in contradistinction to insurance, with a focus on the shift introduced by big data and algorithms. Paradoxically, while the new technologies and epidemiology share a common view on the relation between the individual and the collective, tracing apps were not widely adopted in the Covid-19 crisis. This reluctance to use current technologies for the sake of epidemic containments highlights, beyond legitimate interrogations, a confusion between two imaginaries of the social: insurance solidarity where the interdependence is a source of rights, and epidemic solidarity that imposes duties. © The Author(s) 2022.

Author Keywords
epidemics; insurance; Michel Foucault; Roberto Esposito; solidarity; tracing apps

Document Type: Article
Publication Stage: Article in Press
Source: Scopus

Zhang, H., Powell, D.
Governing Olympic education: Technologies of policy announcements and outsourcing
(2022) International Review for the Sociology of Sport

DOI: 10.1177/10126902221101993

Abstract
The Chinese government views the Olympic Games as a critical platform to present national pride on a global scale. Olympic education also has an important role to play for China, as it is a requirement for any Olympic host country. In the context or preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, this original ethnographic research examines the governance of Olympic education, with a focus on how relationships between China’s government and a range of stakeholders (e.g. private sectors, academics, and individual teachers) ‘worked’ to shape the implementation of Olympic education in two Beijing primary schools. Utilising Foucault’s notion of governmentality, we demonstrate that Olympic education was a significant tactic for Chinese government to realise their ambition of the great rejuvenation of China. Here, the state employed two technologies of government: policy announcements and outsourcing. In tension with common assumptions about China – and Chinese education – being purely authoritarian, our research illuminates how hybrid socialist-neoliberal rationalities worked to shape Olympic education in schools. © The Author(s) 2022.

Author Keywords
2022 Winter Olympics; governmentality; hybrid socialist-neoliberal rationality; Olympic education; outsourcing; policy

Index Keywords
article, China, education, government, human, human experiment, rejuvenation, tension, winter