Sex Researchers:

Background

Michael Foucault was born October 15, 1926 in Poiteiers, France. He attended the Lycee Henri-IV University in Paris where he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1948. Following the completion of this degree he went on to receive a degree in psychology in 1950 and a degree in psychopathology in 1952 (Russell, 2002). In 1960 he was made chair of the philosophy program at the University of Clermont-Ferrard. At this time he met and formed what he called a “passion between two people” with a student named Daniel Defert. Foucault died of AIDS in 1984 after the publication of his final books The Use of Pleasure and The Care of the Self (Gutting, 2003).

Foucault’s theories were influenced by the work of philosophers Frederick Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger as well as the principles that he rejected from major theorists such as Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx (Turner, 2000). Based on these theorists he produced a philosophy that examined the power of society over the individual or self. The core belief of this theory states that society creates the beliefs of the individual through shifts in power and societal advances (Geoff, D., Schirato, T., & Webb, J., 2000). It is through this lens that Foucault examined numerous areas of debate including society’s view of mental illness and sexuality.
In application to sexuality, Foucault believed that our views and ethics of sex are created through societal constructs. It is these constructs that individuals evaluate their behavior in regards to what they perceive as sexual norms. In application to behaviors that deviate from these norms such as homosexuality, Foucault believed that these behaviors were also created from societal shifts in power (Arrington, 1999). Stemming from Foucault’s theory were new approaches to queer theory as well as the feminist perspective (Johnson, 2001).

Foucault’s work helped to expand the interpretation of how human beings are molded and confined while influencing our understanding of how and why history and language are shaped. He explored the historical context behind how humans become object and subject of scientific, economic, political and social practices, which has significantly impacted the study of a wide range of topics including history, sexuality, mental illness, education, and the justice system. His meticulous examination of the expert knowledge created by these institutions illustrated and described how this discourse entered society and created new forms (Horrocks & Jevtic, 1997).
Foucault has, on a certain level, been a powerful contributor to the feminist movement by helping to expand the landscape of resistance with his work on the relation of power to knowledge. He believed that the two are never separate and that truth is distributed in a wide variety of forms under the control of a few machines such as the military, media, and education. He asserted that sexuality presented itself as another mode for organizing discourse and referred to “reverse” discourse as a way that homosexuality “began to speak for itself,” which also can be applied to feminism. In other words, the language began to claim legitimacy and acknowledgement using the same words used to disqualify it (Diamond & Quinby, 1988)
Foucault’s work was also a source of inspiration for the development of Queer Theory, which was pioneered by Judith Butler. She was influenced by Foucault’s notion that identities are not fixed. Foucault stressed that the variety of elements involved in self-identities makes it impossible to view people collectively on the basis of having one characteristic in common. Butler’s approach suggests that gender is one such element that should be considered fluid and flexible. Rather than a reflection of who you are, Butler states that gender is what you do at one time or another (Gauntlett, 1998).

The work of Foucault covered a wide breadth of issues and was a source of controversy in many academic circles. His methods were often criticized for their lack of formal research, over reliance on instinct, and tendency toward omitting or distorting relevant facts. Foucault’s lifestyle drew negative attention due to his flamboyant behavior and penchant for drugs, alcohol and sexual escapades (Eriborn, 1991).

Diamond, I., & Quinby, L. (1988). Feminism & Foucault: Reflections on Resistance. Boston: Northeastern University Press.

Eribon, D. (1991). Michel Foucault. Cambridge: University Press.

Gauntlett, D. (1998). Summarizing Gender Trouble. Retrieved Sept. 12, 2004 from http://theory.org.uk/ctr-butl.htm.Theory.org.uk

Geoff, D., Schirato, T., & Webb, J. (2000). Understanding Foucault. Allen & Unwin: St. Leonards, N.S.W.

Gutting, G. (2003). Michel Foucault. Retrieved September 12, 2004 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/foucault/#1

Horrocks, C. & Jevtic Z. (1997). Introducing Foucault. Cambridge: Icon Books.

Johnson, P. J. (2001). The histories of sexuality: The future of debate. Social Epistemology, 15, 127-137.

Russell, P. (2002). An excerpt from Michel Foucault in the gay 100: A ranking of the most influential gay men and lesbians, past and present. Retrieved September 12, 2004 from http://foucault.info/foucault/biography.html.

Turner, R. (2000). Michel Foucault (1926-1984). Retrieved September 12, 2004 from http://www.connect.net/ron/foucault.html