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A review by carise
The History of Sexuality, Volume 3: The Care of the Self by Michel Foucault
3.0
Volume 3 of “The History of Sexuality” takes up a more philosophical tone than Volume 2. It still situates its analysis in a narrow context; having abandoned the original plan that would examine specific subjects (the “hysterical” woman, the homosexual, etc.), Foucault organized the volumes based on episteme. In this book, it’s the Greco-Roman world of the first centuries CE. I can appreciate the reasons why I suspect Foucault made this change, but I just can’t bring myself to like it.
Foucault’s thesis is that discourse on sexuality shifted at the turn of the millenium, from an emphasis on the regulation of pleasure for mastery over others, to restrictions on sexuality for the “cultivation” of one’s self. I’m just not sure his theoretical generalizations are well-supported by the source material, even if distinctions can be made between specific texts. He relies more heavily in this volume on Stoic thought, which, if nothing else, disinterests me. But it was still an overall enjoyable work with value as a descriptive historical analysis.
Foucault’s thesis is that discourse on sexuality shifted at the turn of the millenium, from an emphasis on the regulation of pleasure for mastery over others, to restrictions on sexuality for the “cultivation” of one’s self. I’m just not sure his theoretical generalizations are well-supported by the source material, even if distinctions can be made between specific texts. He relies more heavily in this volume on Stoic thought, which, if nothing else, disinterests me. But it was still an overall enjoyable work with value as a descriptive historical analysis.