"Society Must Be Defended": Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975-1976 [Paperback]

Michel Foucault (Author), David Macey (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0312422660 | ISBN-13: 978-0312422660 | Edition: Reprint

An examination of the relation between war and politics, by one of the twentieth century’s most influential thinkers

From 1971 until 1984 at the Collège de France, Michel Foucault gave a series of lectures ranging freely and conversationally over the range of his research. In Society Must Be Defended, Foucault deals with the emergence in the early seventeenth century of a new understanding of war as the permanent basis of all institutions of power, a hidden presence within society that could be deciphered by an historical analysis. Tracing this development, Foucault outlines the genealogy of power and knowledge that had become his dominant concern.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Foucault] must be reckoned with by humanists, social scientists, and political activists." --The New York Times Book Review

"Foucault is quite central to our sense of where we are. . . [He] is carrying out, in the noblest way, the promiscuous aim of true culture." --The Nation

"[Foucault] has an alert and sensitive mind which can ignore the familiar surfaces of established intellectual codes and ask new questions. . ..[He] gives dramatic quality to the movement of culture." --The New York Review of Books

About the Author

Michel Foucault, acknowledged as the preeminent philosopher of France in the ’70s and ’80s, had enormous impact throughout the world in many disciplines.

David Macey has translated twenty books from the French and is the author of The Lives of Michel Foucault and Frantz Fanon (Picador). He lives in Leeds, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Picador; Reprint edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312422660
• ISBN-13: 978-0312422660
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

One of the leading intellectuals of the twentieth century and the most prominent thinker in post-war France, Foucault's work influenced disciplines as diverse as history, sociology, philosophy, sociology and literary criticism.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable Addition to Foucault's Oeuvre February 24, 2005

By Lam

Format:Paperback

Foucault never wrote a monograph on power per se, the arguably most influential notion put forth by him. Yet this posthumous publication of his College de France lectures 1975-76 approximates one. Here one can find the most elaborate discussion of the distinction between power-as-law and power as a bunch of local techniques and force relations, and more important, the idiosyncratic conceptualization of political power based on the model of war. It is also in these lectures that Foucault gives a sustantial analysis of racism. Although these topics are already touched upon in The History of Sexuality vol. 1, unfortunately they have not been given extended space to develop thanks to Foucault's drastic modification of his writing plan. Two decades after his premature death, we are finally allowed to have a better understanding of Foucault's profound reflection upon these issues. The continual unveiling of Foucault's other lectures in print in years to come makes life worthy to live even in this depressive political atmosphere.

59 of 66 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Offering an unusually insightful perspective February 11, 2003

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Hardcover

Capably and collaboratively edited by Mauro Bertani and Allesandro Fontana, "Society Must Be Defended" is a collection of French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault's eleven lectures given at the College de France from 1975 to 1976, and which are ably translated into English for an American readership by David Macey. Offering an unusually insightful perspective and wisdom on a wide variety of educational topics ranging from the origin of feudalism, to the functions and domains of racism, to Hobbes' ideas on war and sovereignty, and a great deal more, "Society Must Be Defended" is a very thought-provoking and instructive collection from a uniquely informed and informative point of view. As Michel Foucault writes about this compilation of his views: "The role of history will, then, be to show that laws deceive, that kings wear masks, that power creates illusions, and that historians tell lies. This will not, then, be a history of continuity, but a history of deciphering, the detection of the secret, the outwitting of the ruse, and the reappropriation of a knowledge that has been distorted or buried. It will decipher a truth that has been sealed".

5.0 out of 5 stars Real talk Michel, Real talk. April 27, 2013

By Real Talk

Format:Paperback

This collection of lectures is a great introduction to Michel Foucault's style of thinking, what I you call the thinking behind the thinking, which characterizes his work. His take on power, politics, race and class, as well as the purpose behind nearly all our cultural institutions comes from a critical perspective that challenges mainstream assumptions and is indeed very interesting. As a Hispanic from what you might call a "lower class" socioeconomic background, I was very interested to read his history of racism and the way it has been used to justify war and power politics. Though his ideas are inevitably influenced by the cultural milieu of the late 60s and mid 70s, with the advent of zero tolerance and the school-as-prison educational policies of 21st century America, they are even more true today then when he first wrote them.

Beginning with his overturning of Clausewitz's famous aphorism, and culminating with a definition of racism along the lines of biopower, "Society Must Be Defended" is an awesome, and I must also say accessible, read from one of the most influential thinkers of our time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Foucault is a legend February 14, 2013

By TedM

Format:Paperback

Like Thomas Hobbes before him, Foucault's political ideology should become a standard for understanding how power influences society. Loved his books, and his message!

2 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Society Must be Defended November 12, 2008

By L. M. Smith

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Readers of Foucault must read this entire lecture series rather than rely upon the previous three published lectures to appreciate the full message he conveys.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Grade A January 9, 2009

By Mr. David A. Walker

Format:Paperback

The book was in excellent condition and was delivered no hassle and tout suite. C'est tres bon......