A little more about Michel

Michel Foucault was a french historian and philosopher. He was often associated with structuralist criticism. Structuralism, by very rough definition, is a field of social criticism which states that everything consists of many interlinked parts. These parts all work together to help the greater whole function properly. Along with structuralism, Michel was associated with post-modernism and Maoism, but he disliked any labels and never committed to any of these groups, structuralism included.

He studied many facets of society. He did work on power and its effect and relationship with a modern society. He researched a lot in prisons, which ultimately led to his book, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison.

Along with social institutions, Foucault could be argued as one of the greatest philosophers of sexuality of the century. His History of Sexuality vol. I-III all but revolutionized the way a modern society views sex and an individual's sexuality. His biggest claim the the history is his refute of the Repression Hypothesis. The Repression Hypothesis states that the history of sexuality has been a history of repressed feelings and desires. Foucault argues that, instead of being repressed, sexuality has been making its way to the forefront of our lives over the past few hundred years. In, my opinion, we can all thank Foucault for the open sexuality in media and everyday life that we see today.

If you are dying to read some of Foucault's work, these are probably some of his best titles:
The History of Sexuality vol I-III
The Archaeology of Knowledge
Madness and Civilization
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

However, unless you speak fluent French, you will be unable to experience the full scope of Foucault's work. Sadly, all of his English translations are abridged.