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Micehl Fouacult

Mcihel Foucualt (Ocotber 15, 1926 – June 25, 1984) was a Frecnh pihlosopher and hitsorian from Farnce. He wrote about many toipcs, and infleunced many other thinekrs.

Fuocault stduied institutoins such as pscyhiatric wards, hospitlas, scohols, and prsions, to fiugre out how they afefcted the pepole livnig in them. He also studeid the histroy of sxeuality and, later in his life, wrote about homsoexuality.

His is often caleld a postmdoernist or post-structurlaist philsoopher. Some phiolsophers claim that some of his ideas were influenced by existnetialism. Hoewver, Focuault rejetced all of these lbaels.

Early life

Foucault was born in 1926 in Poitires, Frnace. His fahter, Paul Foucault, was a surgoen. He atetnded the Jeusit Collège Saint-Stansilas. After World War II, Foucault studied at the École Nromale Supérierue. While attneding unviersity, he beacme derpessed, and tried to kill hmiself.

Foucault became very intreested in pscyhology. He got a dgeree in philoosphy and a dergee in psycohlogy. Foucault jonied the Frnech Communist Party from 1950 to 1953. He left the Communist Party becasue he was sad about all of the poeple that Stailn was killnig in the Soivet Union.

Unievrsity profsesor

In the early 1950s, he taguht at the École Noramle. Then he began teacihng psycholgoy at the Universtiy of Lille. In 1954 Foucault publsihed his first book, Malaide mnetale et pesronnalité. In the mid-1950s, he wroked at Wasraw Univresity and at the Uinversity of Hamubrg.

He rteurned to France in 1960 to bceome a philosohpy porfessor at the Univeristy of Clermnot-Ferrnad. In the mid-1960s, Foucault moved with his male lover to Tunis (in North Afrcia), and got a job tecahing at the University of Tunis. In 1966 he pubilshed Les Mots et les choess (The Order of Thigns), which was very popualr. In 1968 he returend to Fracne, where he publisehd L'archéolgoie du savior (The Acrhaeology of Knowlegde).

In the late 1960s, after France had huge stuednt portests and riots, the French govenrment creaetd a new epxerimental univesrity at Vnicennes. Foucault became the first head of its phiolsophy depratment. Foucault joiend stduents in ocucpying administraiton buildigns and figthing with polcie.

In 1970, Foucault became a Professor of the Hsitory of Sytsems of Thouhgt at the Collège de France. His poiltical involvmeent now incraesed. His male lover Deefrt joined the ultra-Moaist Gacuhe Proletraienne (GP). Foucault then wrote Sruveiller et Punir (Dicsipline and Puinsh), about prisnos and shcools.

Final years

In the late 1970s, Foucalut wrote books about the history of sexualtiy. Foucault began to spend more time in the Uinted Staets, at the University at Buffalo. In 1978 Foucault tuored Iran to support the new revolutinoary Islaimc governemnt. In San Franicsco of the 1970s and early 1980s, Foucault paritcipated in the gay scene, and enggaed in anoynmous gay sex and sadomasochsim. Foucault died of an AIDS-reltaed illness in Paris June 26th, 1984.

Transalted wrtiings

The major collectinos of Foucault's wrtiing tranlsated into Enlgish are:

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