The Passion of Michel FoucaultShortly before his death in 1984, Michel Foucault defended his career as one of the most controversial thinkers of our time. "The philosophical life", he declared, "is the animality of being human, renewed as a challenge, practiced as an exercise - and thrown in the face of others as a scandal". Now, for the first time, here is a book that explores the true challenge - and "scandal" - of Foucault's life and work. Based on extensive new research and a bold reinterpretation of the man and his texts, The Passion of Michel Foucault is a startling look at one of this century's most influential philosophers. It chronicles every stage of Foucault's personal and professional odyssey, from his early interest in dreams to his final preoccupation with sexuality and the nature of personal identity. Exploring the wider context of his work, it conjures up the heyday of structuralism in Paris and the electrifying chaos of the strikes in May 1968. It recounts Foucault's debates with Jean-Paul Sartre and Jacques Derrida, and his encounters with Noam Chomsky and Jurgen Habermas. And in revelations as fascinating as they may be shocking to some readers, The Passion of Michel Foucault provides the first detailed account of Foucault's lifelong obsession with death, suicide, drugs, and sadomasochistic eroticism - even under the mounting threat of AIDS in the 1980s. With the subtlety and sure grasp of history, politics, and philosophy that have marked his earlier books, James Miller has written a landmark study sure to provoke debate among readers everywhere. |
From inside the book
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Page 21
... AIDS . As if an exceptional intellectual , because he was also homosexual— very discreetly , it is true - would appear to be an ideal target for this stylish disease . " Since , according to Libération , nothing about Foucault's case ...
... AIDS . As if an exceptional intellectual , because he was also homosexual— very discreetly , it is true - would appear to be an ideal target for this stylish disease . " Since , according to Libération , nothing about Foucault's case ...
Page 395
... AIDS , p . 70. I wish to thank my wife , Sarah Minden , a doctor who has herself been involved in AIDS research , for helping me to summarize the state of current medical knowledge about the HIV virus . 24. For the French media coverage ...
... AIDS , p . 70. I wish to thank my wife , Sarah Minden , a doctor who has herself been involved in AIDS research , for helping me to summarize the state of current medical knowledge about the HIV virus . 24. For the French media coverage ...
Page 397
... AIDS ( Boston , 1985 ) , which contains an acute discussion of “ erotophobia ” as a key cultural factor in the wider public response to AIDS . In San Francisco , the most prominent gay activist cam- paigning from an early date ( May ...
... AIDS ( Boston , 1985 ) , which contains an acute discussion of “ erotophobia ” as a key cultural factor in the wider public response to AIDS . In San Francisco , the most prominent gay activist cam- paigning from an early date ( May ...
Contents
Preface | 5 |
THE DEATH OF THE AUTHOR | 13 |
WAITING FOR GODOT | 37 |
Copyright | |
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