Introducing Foucault: A Graphic Guide (Graphic Guides)

I read this book at the same time as I read Foucault, A Very Short Introduction, and thought that was the better book. I have read other Graphic Guides, which I have enjoyed, so I am quite happy with the graphic format. However, I thought that this was in some parts made more difficult that it needed to be and at some times it was very slangy. If you are interested in Foucault then there is a good interview with him on youtube from 1981.

Foucault had many theories, many weirdnesses and many selves. This graphic guide dissects Foucault's theories and other weirdness in such a way that students or anyone else are able to understand (or at least reason with) his life's work.

This book divulges much, including perhaps way too many personal sexuality issues...There should be more structure in this intro in terms of concepts, to help those new and not so to better take in what they came for--an ordered historical perspective on the development and support for his key ideas and works. Foucault is not easy to digest because he is so scatological. How he came to be seen as qualified to teach on so many diverse topics (literature and psychology, as well as philosophy a d history...?!) is one example that never gets clarified in the least. Nor do his central ideas, really. What are they? I still feel helpless to really account for what I know of Foucault after college courses on his key readings, and now this book. Does anyone feel confident in their knowledge of Foucault? I at least learned that Foucault was politically active, which goes against the common wisdom of the neo-Marxist and feminist cliques. That said, this intro did not introduce me to what Foucault was seeking to do, ultimately.

A Graphic guide which was intended to summarize Foucault's work often left me a little baffled at times. Going to take more than this fully flesh out his theories. At least I know a bit more than before reading. We didn't study him in any of my philosophy classes back in the day.

First came across Foucault during a philosophy class at Howard. I was more interested in his ideas surrounding power. This quick read gives a very good high level overview of his ideas.

Although Foucault was criticized for his new historicism approaches, there is a sort of freedom a critic receives by looking at a text, history, or circumstance the way that Foucault did. A reductive answer to Foucaultian questions might be “there is no truth.” This makes critics uncomfortable who want to speak their truth. . . Anyway, this book will let you get to know Foucault on a more personal level than what the professors in your universities will.

Made Foucault’s difficult philosophy easy to understand. One of the most important philosophers of the second half of the twentieth century and a maverick, Foucault’s ideas are explained simply and concisely. Well worth your time!

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This is a great book for a quick summarization of Foucault's work, and the drawings add even more to the pleasant experience. However, this book might not be suitable for philosophy beginners: I would then advise to be armed with a dictionary.

Unfortunately this book was more a biography of Foucault's life than a discussion of his theories. No real information about biopower, governmentality, or conception of power. I was hoping this book would give me an introduction to some of these concepts, but it definitely did not. I was highly disappointed.

While the idea behind these graphic guides is a little whacky - breaking down complex thinkers into graphic form is perhaps a little difficult to pull off - this particular edition is actually reasonably good. It is set out in roughly chronological order, covering both biographical aspects to Foucault as well as the development of his modes of thought and concepts. I rate it 3 and a half stars because although it isn't overly difficult to understand, I think it would be difficult to come away with a clear idea of Foucault's thinking or his main concepts (i.e. his work on power), and so one would probably need to consult with other introductory texts to have a clearer introduction to this brilliant French thinker.

Want to learn about Foucault with pictures? of course you do! This book is pretty much what it says on the spine!

as always really impressed with these little graphic guides! The ones which focus on specific authors/scientists/theorists are in general immeasurably better as they give a great overview of key theory and what texts may be of interest.