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Books

Foucault and the Political by Jon Simons

Peter Benson considers the politics of Michel Foucault.

This book is one of a series published by Routledge on the political thought of various modern philosophers. Volumes on Heidegger and Derrida have already been published. In the case of those two philosophers, serious doubts can be raised as to whether their work has any political relevance whatever. Michel Foucault’s writings, on the other hand, have always been concerned with power relations and with the historical roots of our present social institutions. That his work is fully engaged with political issues is undeniable, but it is less certain whether any specific political project (any recommended social action) can be deduced from Foucault’s analyses.

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