The Later Foucault

Foucault scholars and political commentators examine the significance of his last writings in this book. The text explores issues such as: the question of Foucault and human rights; his relationship to ethical thought, power and freedom; and his relationship to feminism. Why does 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? Foucault′s work presents a provocative challenge to orthodox, habitual forms of belief and practice. The Later Foucault, with an impressive interdisciplinary focus, argues that one of the keys to understanding Foucault is his political thought. It is this which he expressed clearly in his last writings and which pulled together his earlier interests in power, agency and subjectivity. In this volume a distinguished array of Foucauldian scholars and commentators on politics explore the significance of these last writings. They examine 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.