The History of Sexuality: 1: The Will to Knowledge

by Michel Foucault

'A brilliant display of fireworks, attacking the widespread and banal notion that "in the beginning" sexual activity was guilt-free and delicious, being repressed and blighted only by the gloom of Victorianism' SpectatorWe talk about sex more and more, but are we more liberated? The first part of Michel Foucault's landmark account of our evolving attitudes in the west shows how the nineteenth century, far from suppressing sexuality, led to an explosion of discussion about sex as a separate sphere of life for study and examination. As a result, he argues, we are making a science of sex which is devoted to the analysis of desire rather than the increase of pleasure.'A wealth of insights, original conceptualizations and provocative ideas' The Times Literary Supplement

Genres: Philosophy

ebook

Published November 14, 2019

About the author

Paul-Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationships between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social control through societal institutions. Though often cited as a structuralist and postmodernist, Foucault rejected these labels. His thought has influenced academics, especially those working in communication studies, anthropology, psychology, sociology, criminology, cultural studies, literary theory, feminism, Marxism and critical theory.
Born in Poitiers, France, into an upper-middle-class family, Foucault was educated at the Lycée Henri-IV, at the École Normale Supérieure, where he developed an interest in philosophy and came under the influence of his tutors Jean Hyppolite and Louis Althusser, and at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), where he earned degrees in philosophy and psychology. After several years as a cultural diplomat abroad, he returned to France and published his first major book, The History of Madness (1961). After obtaining work between 1960 and 1966 at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, he produced The Birth of the Clinic (1963) and The Order of Things (1966), publications that displayed his increasing involvement with structuralism, from which he later distanced himself. These first three histories exemplified a historiographical technique Foucault was developing called "archaeology".
From 1966 to 1968, Foucault lectured at the University of Tunis before returning to France, where he became head of the philosophy department at the new experimental university of Paris VIII. Foucault subsequently published The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969). In 1970, Foucault was admitted to the Collège de France, a membership he retained until his death. He also became active in several left-wing groups involved in campaigns against racism and human rights abuses and for penal reform. Foucault later published Discipline and Punish (1975) and The History of Sexuality (1976), in which he developed archaeological and genealogical methods that emphasized the role that power plays in society.
Foucault died in Paris from complications of HIV/AIDS; he became the first public figure in France to die from complications of the disease. His partner Daniel Defert founded the AIDES charity in his memory.

Reviews

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

if i ever become famous for assassinating a health insurance exec i wonder what people will think looking at my goodreads with 2 of my last 3 books being on sex by ppl who are clearly not having sex

but somehow have gone through 4 years of school having never read foucault and see why he is so college-core. A lot of discussion on power. It is interesting reading this so soon after reading intercourse and I do wonder if Dworkin ever read foucault (highly likely) because I feel like Foucaults analysis of the relations of power arising from the deployment of sexuality in our modern era had a lot of similarities to Dworkins argument of how intercourse / sex keeps women in a subjugated position to men.

I think Foucault's core argument: that we haven't actually gotten more repressive about sex, actually we talk about it all the time as a means of regulating sex in order to reproduce power relations for the bourgeoise to be extremely interesting but also very convincing. I read an article on the rise of pro-natalism in the U.S. pretty recently and made me realize the overall conservative attitude towards sexuality / gender / family values has all the same overtures that Foucault discusses on this deployment of sexuality which I think actually makes Foucaults analysis very politically relevant rn. The sexuality of children is of foremost importance (drag brunches are turning kids gay!1!), the emphasis on procreation, the pathologization of anamolous sexual desire and the hysterization of women are the four pillars of knowledge that foucault identifies which contributes to the production of sexuality entrenches forms of bourgeoise control in the general populace (i.e. creation and reproduction of a politically compliant populace which is easily controlled by a set of morals and ideals which stem from this overarching sexuality).

my understanding of what he talks abt on deployment of alliance vs deployment of sexuality seems to be an inversion of dworkim almost. Where I think foucault argues that power isn't top down but rather bottoms up wherein power and the relations of power between people is constantly being recreated and therefore it's the power relations intrinsic in the deployment of sexuality (spreading of sexuality to the general populace) which go on to create / influence laws whereas what i got from dworkin was that it was the laws of a patriarchial society which go on to create the conditions of intercourse which perpetuate the system of domination over women. But it's in interesting argument that Foucault makes that sexuality is a historical construct. I kinda skimmed the last section bc i was getting sleepy but i know he does push back against the counterargument that "you're completely missing the fact that the act of sex is rooted in biology!!" but i cant judge the merits of that argument bc i actually am too tired to bring myself to go back and reread what that argument is. But i do think its an interesting thought thats worth exploring further

anyways 4 stars bc while i think he raises interesting points and draws interesting conclusions i think foucault should get laid also he talks abt truth a lot "the will to truth" the "truth in sex" and idk i think im just dumb but i feel like he never defines it so idk what hes really getting at there and i feel like sometimes he just like says things and i nod and go along with it since hes a big shot philosopher but it really just seems like he is saying words together sometimes in a way which sounds authoritative

[Viktoria Chipova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: 3/5 ⭐️
The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: The Will to Knowledge – Michel Foucault

Foucault’s first volume in The History of Sexuality is undoubtedly influential and provocative, introducing a radical rethinking of how Western societies have dealt with sexuality—not through repression, as commonly believed, but through a complex network of discourse, surveillance, and power.

His core argument—that power doesn't only restrict but also produces knowledge and identity—is intellectually rich and foundational for gender studies, queer theory, and sociology. Concepts like bio-power, the confessional, and discourse are game-changing.

That said, this is not an easy or consistently rewarding read. The prose is dense, abstract, and often circular, which may feel frustrating or inaccessible to non-academic readers. The book is heavy on theory, light on concrete examples, and sometimes more stimulating than satisfying.

In summary:
Important and foundational, but not very reader-friendly. Thought-provoking, but demands patience and prior context. 3/5.