This is an auction for ABNORMAL by Michel Foucault.

“These lectures offer important insights into the evolution of the primary focus of Foucault's later work -- the relationship between power and knowledge.”

• Library Journal (US)

Amazon.com reviews:

"From 1971 until his death in 1984, Foucault gave public lectures at the world-famous College de France. Attended by thousands, these were seminal events in the world of French letters. The lectures comprising Abnormal begin by examining the role of psychiatry in modern criminal justice, and its method of categorizing individuals who "resemble their crime before they commit it." Building on the themes of societal self-defense in "Society Must Be Defended," Foucault shows how and why defining "abnormality" and "normality" were preorogatives of power in the 19th century. The College de France lectures add immeasurably to our appreciation of Foucault's work and offer a unique window into his thinking."

"Foucault's 1974-1975 lecture series on abnormality is a typically brilliant assessment of the historical configuration of three figures, namely, the monster, the criminal/individual to be corrected, and the onanist. This is a remarkable achievement of empirical research. This particular series of lectures traces the complex interstices between criminality, abnormality and sexuality and provides a clean analysis of the grid of power relations immanent in these respective domains. Foucault's analysis of the medicalization/psychiatrization of crime is particularly brilliant."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michel Foucault (1926-1984) was the author of Madness and Civilization, Discipline and Punish, The History of Sexuality, and many other books.

Hardback 2003.

374 pages.

Very good condition.

The cost of shipping is $4.95.

There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Palmerston North following the auction.

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