Abnormal: Lectures at the College de France 1974-1975 - Paperback
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Abnormal: Lectures at the Collège de France 1974-1975
From 1971 until his death in 1984, Michel Foucault delivered public lectures at the prestigious Collège de France, drawing thousands of attendees and shaping the landscape of French intellectual thought. This volume presents the complete lectures from 1974-1975, offering direct access to Foucault's groundbreaking analysis of power, normality, and social control.
Key Themes and Content
The Abnormal lectures examine the role of psychiatry in modern criminal justice systems, analyzing how psychiatric expertise became instrumental in categorizing individuals as dangerous before any criminal act occurred. Foucault traces the historical development of concepts that defined who was considered "abnormal" versus "normal" in society, revealing these distinctions as mechanisms of power rather than objective medical categories.
Building on themes introduced in "Society Must Be Defended," these lectures demonstrate how nineteenth-century institutions wielded the authority to define abnormality and normality as prerogatives of social control. Foucault explores the intersection of medical knowledge, legal systems, and state power, showing how psychiatric discourse became embedded in mechanisms of societal self-defense.
Academic Significance
This lecture series represents essential material for understanding Foucault's broader philosophical project. The lectures provide insight into his methodology and thinking process, connecting to major works including Madness and Civilization, The History of Sexuality, and Discipline and Punish. Scholars of philosophy, criminology, psychiatry, and social theory will find this volume indispensable for comprehending the development of post-structuralist thought and critical approaches to power relations.
About This Edition
Published by Picador USA as part of the complete thirteen-volume series of Collège de France lectures, this paperback edition includes expert editing by Arnold I. Davidson, who teaches at the University of Chicago and serves as executive editor of Critical Inquiry. The lectures add immeasurably to appreciation of Foucault's work, offering a unique window into his intellectual process during a pivotal period of his career.
This volume is essential for students and researchers in philosophy, sociology, criminology, history, and critical theory, providing foundational texts for understanding contemporary approaches to power, knowledge, and social institutions.
From 1971 until his death in 1984, Foucault gave public lectures at the world-famous College de France. Attended by thousands, these were seminal events in the world of French letters. Picador is proud to be publishing the lectures in thirteen volumes.
The lectures comprising Abnormal begin by examining the role of psychiatry in modern criminal justice, and its method of categorizing individuals who "resemble their crime before they commit it." Building on the themes of societal self-defense in "Society Must Be Defended," Foucault shows how and why defining "abnormality" and "normality" were prerogatives of power in the nineteenth century.
The works of Michel Foucault include Madness and Civilization, The History of Sexuality, and Discipline and Punish. Series editor Arnold I. Davidson teaches at the University of Chicago and is executive editor of the journal Critical Inquiry.
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