A Foucault Primer: Discourse, Power and the Subject

An essential introduction to the pre-eminent philosopher Michel Foucault

In such seminal works as Madness and Civilization, Discipline and Punish , and The History of Sexuality , the late philosopher Michel Foucault explored what our politics, our sexuality, our societal conventions, and our changing notions of truth told us about ourselves. In the process, Foucault garnered a reputation as one of the pre-eminent philosophers of the latter half of the twentieth century and has served as a primary influence on successive generations of philosophers and cultural critics.

With A Foucault Primer , Alec McHoul and Wendy Grace bring Foucault’s work into focus for the uninitiated. Written in crisp and concise prose, A Foucault Primer explicates three central concepts of Foucauldian theory―discourse, power, and the subject―and suggests that Foucault’s work has much yet to contribute to contemporary debate.