Foucault: A Critical Introduction

McNay, Lois

ISBN 10: 0826407781 / ISBN 13: 9780826407788

Published by Continuum Intl Pub Group, 1994

Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00080345524

Synopsis:

Foucault: A Critical Introduction offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the work of one of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers. Unlike most books on Foucault, this book offers an assessment of all Foucault's work, including his final writings on governmentality and the self. McNay argues that the later work initiates an important shift in his intellectual concerns which alters any retrospective reading of his writings as a whole.
Throughout, McNay is concerned to assess the normative and political implications of Foucault's social criticism. She goes beyond the level of many commentators to look at the values from which Foucault's work springs, and reveals the implicit assumptions underlying his social critique. McNay also discusses Foucault's position in the modernity/postmodernity debate, his own ambivalence toward Enlightenment thought and his place in recent developments in feminist and cultural theory. The result is an invaluable book which clearly outlines the central themes of Foucault's work, while offering a fresh appraisal of his thought.

About the Author: Lois McNay is Lecturer in Politics and Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Foucault: A Critical Introduction
Publisher: Continuum Intl Pub Group
Publication Date: 1994
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good