Foucault: WTF? An Introduction to Foucault, Power and Knowledge

Video Description

In this introduction to Foucault, we consider the relationship between knowledge and power through looking (primarily) at three books by Michel Foucault: Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, The Order of Things and The History of Sexuality (as well as, very briefly, History of Madness—sometimes published as Madness and Civilisation—and The Birth of the Clinic). We unpack some of the terminology central to Foucault's philosophy such as episteme (and the shifts between epistemes), archaeology and genealogy. Finally, we look at how Foucault uses the panopticon—a plan for a uniquely utilitarian prison designed by Jeremy Bentham—in order to consider how discipline and punishment might have become a part of our everyday lives. If you're look for the work of Michel Foucault explained simply and engagingly then, hopefully, this might be the video you're looking for! If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of the script to this video with footnotes and references to pour over to your heart's content then check out my Patreon at http://patreon.com/tomnicholas Further Reading Foucault: A Very Short Introduction by Gary Gutting US: https://amzn.to/2IFTx9E UK: https://amzn.to/2KN2ocj Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison by Michel Foucault US: https://amzn.to/2XIPrUA UK: https://amzn.to/2Ke4TFj The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction by Michel Foucault US: https://amzn.to/2MJ6G7f UK: https://amzn.to/2KKGUwN [The above are affiliate links. I receive a small kickback from anything you buy which, in turn, helps to support the channel.] If you've enjoyed this video and would like to see more including my What The Theory? series in which I provide some snappy introductions to key theories in the humanities as well as PhD vlogs in which I talk about some of the challenges of being a PhD student then do consider subscribing. Thanks for watching! Twitter: @Tom_Nicholas Website: www.tomnicholas.com