The Later Foucault: Politics and Philosophy

What makes Michel Foucault s work continue to be of central importance in current debates in sociology, political science, and philosophy? Why do we still read him as a guide to contemporary social and cultural life? The Later Foucault argues that the key to understanding Foucault is his political thought. It is this that began to be expressed clearly in his last writings and that pulled together his earlier interests in power, agency, and subjectivity. The book brings together a distinguished array of Foucault scholars and commentators on politics to bring out the significance of Foucault s last writings. It examines such key issues as the question of Foucault and human rights; his relationship to ethical thought, power, and freedom; his relationship to feminism; and comparisons of his work with Levinas and Rawls. The result is a probing text that casts Foucault s work in a new light. The Foucault who emerges in these pages is a subtle and radical thinker. He never believed that commentary on social and cultural life was sufficient. Instead, his work presents provocative challenges to the orthodox, habitual forms of practice and beliefs. Foucault remains an indispensable figure because his ideas continue to be "good to think with." With its impressive interdisciplinary focus, this volume will appeal to students of sociology, political science, and philosophy.