Starting With Foucault

Michel Foucault had a great influence upon a wide range of scholars, but it is often difficult for beginners to find their way into the complexities of his thought. This difficulty arises from a number of historical and substantive reasons that are especially germane if the reader comes to Foucault without prior acquaintance with Continental philosophy. C. G. Prado argues in this new introduction that the time is ripe for Anglo-American philosophy, in particular, to come to terms with Foucault.In this clear, straightforward introduction to Foucault's thought, Prado focuses on Foucault's "middle" work,Discipline and Punishand the first volume ofThe History of Sexuality,in which Foucault most clearly comes to grips with the the historicization of truth and knowledge and the formation of subjectivity.Understanding Foucault's thought on these difficult subjects requires working through much complexity and ambiguity, and Prado's direct and accessible introduction is the ideal place to start.