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Introducing
Foucault, by Chris Horrocks and Zoran
Jevtic.
This brief, illustrated introduction to one of the most
influential intellectuals of the 20th century begins with
a quote by Foucault himself: "Do not ask who I am and
do not ask me to remain the same." Immediately the
reader is confronted by the fact that what they learn about
Foucault will be incomplete, as well as somewhat enigmatic.
With his endearing popularity in academia, this introduction
is a fitting start before one tackles one of his well known
treatises -- Madness and Civilization, The
Order of Things, or Discipline and Punish --
that seem to pop up as references in many contemporary texts.
Author Horrocks gives insight into Foucault's life and his
ideas, allowing the reader to see the intersection of the
two, especially the way his ideas arose and evolved over
the course of his life. With Jevtic's illustrations, Foucault
is humanized, though also critiqued. Horrocks points out
flaws on occasion (the "lazy argument" of asking
why prisons fail), and he also presents the critiques of
intellectuals, like Jean-Paul Sartre and Noam Chomsky, who
were challenged by Foucault's approach to history.
Foucault's ideas, positions, and terminologies are, needless
to say, difficult. Rather than dumb these down, though,
Horrocks admirably condenses some of these down to what
can fit in a cartoon bubble. While readers obviously won't
finish this short book with a complete understanding of
Foucault and his ideas, they will feel acclimated to his
ideas enough to take on one of his books, knowing full well
that the text's author was neither omniscient nor without
an insatiable thirst for both knowledge and pleasure.
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