T 4/2 Foucault, The Use of Pleasure 1-32, 78-93, recommended 53-77; “Preface to The History of Sexuality, Vol. 2”

Topics: How does Foucault modify his project? Power and freedom

1. The two main shifts in Foucault’s project, The History of Sexuality, are an extension of the genealogy of modern sexuality all the way back to the ancient Greeks and the emergence of a concern about the manner in which an individual constitutes and recognizes itself as a subject. What are some examples of the latter and what sorts of changes from The History of Sexuality vol. 1 does it indicate?

2. According to Foucault in Part One, Ch. 4, how did the ancient Greeks conceive of freedom and its relation to power and truth?

3. What are the main similarities and differences between ancient Greek and Christian sexual morality (see esp 91-93 and 13-24)?