The History of Sexuality: The use of pleasure

by Foucault, Michel (1988)

Abstract

Michel Foucault's 'The History of Sexuality' pioneered queer theory. In it he builds an argument grounded in a historical analysis of the word "sexuality" against the common thesis that sexuality always has been repressed in Western society. Quite the contrary: since the 17th century, there has been a fixation with sexuality creating a discourse around sexuality. It is this discourse that has created sexual minorities. In 'The History of Sexuality', Foucault attempts to disprove the thesis that Western society has seen a repression of sexuality since the 17th century and that sexuality has been unmentionable, something impossible to speak about. In the 70s, when the book was written, the sexual revolution was a fact. The ideas of the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, saying that to conserve your mental health you needed to liberate your sexual energy, were popular. The past was seen as a dark age where sexuality had been something forbidden.

Keywords

Foucault, Foucauldian, Sexuality, Repression, Power, Pleasure, Freedom, Truth, Dialectics

Themes

History of Sexuality, Foucault Citations

Links to Reference

• https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=jnQbAQAAMAAJ
• https://books.google.com/books/about/The_History_of_Sexuality_The_use_of_plea.html?hl=&id=jnQbAQAAMAAJ

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