B Y H A M Z A H A N I F

WHO IS HE AND WHAT WERE HIS THEORIES

Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and social

theorist, he is well known for his theory about Power

and knowledge and they are used as a form of social

control through societal institutions.

Born in Poitiers, France to a upper-middle-class family,

Foucault was educated at the Lycée Henri-IV and then

the École Normale Supérieure, where he developed an

interest in philosophy and came under the influence of

his tutors Jean Hyppolite and Louis Althusser. After

several years as a cultural diplomat abroad, he

returned to France and published his first major book,

The History of Madness.

ABOUT MICHEL

Michel who was born in France and was educated at Lycée Henri-IV (Secondary School) and then went to École Normale Supérieure (University) where he developed an interest in philosophy.

For several years Michel worked abroad as a cultural diplomat, after a long time Michel returned to France and published his first major book The History of Madness . Between 1960 Michel became a professor at the University of Clermont-Ferrand and taught History of the systems of thought until his death.

Michel often taught outside of France and agreed to teach at University of California at Berkeley.

Michel was a activist and protested on behalf of homosexuals and other marginalized groups, he protested they should get treated equally and not get treated in-humanely.

Sadly Michel was a early victim of AIDS, Foucault passed away in Paris on June 25th 1984

POWER& KNOWLEDGE

Michel is known for his theories about the relationship between Power &

Knowledge, Michel has had a huge influence in shaping the

understanding of power, Foucault challenged the idea that power is

wielded by people or groups by way of episodic or sovereign acts of

coercion.

Foucault is one of the few writers on power who recognise that power is

not just a negative, coercive or repressive thing that forces us to do

things against our wishes, but can also be a necessary, productive

and positive force in society.

Definition

Coercion- the action or practice of persuading someone to do something

by using force or threats:

SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS HE WROTE

-The Birth Of The Clinic

-The Order Of Things

- The History of Madness and Medicine