Michel Foucault

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/michel-foucault

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Michel Foucault born?October 15, 1926
2. When did Michel Foucault die?June 25, 1984 (age 57)
3. Where was Michel Foucault born?Poitiers, France
4. Who was Michel Foucault?Michel Foucault was a French thinker born in 1926 who loved to ask big questions about rules and power in society.
5. What is the panopticon?The panopticon is a prison design where inmates can always feel they might be watched, which helps keep them disciplined.

Archaeology of Knowledge: Foucault's method for analyzing historical systems of thought and the rules that govern them.
Genealogy: Foucault's method for tracing the historical origins of concepts and practices, emphasizing power relations.
Power/Knowledge Nexus: The inseparable relationship where power produces knowledge and knowledge reinforces power.
Disciplinary Power: A form of power that operates through surveillance, normalization, and the creation of docile bodies.