Foucault Studies 2015

Abstract:

Interest in the work of the French thinker Michel Foucault continues to develop within the English-speaking world and elsewhere at an exponential rate. There exists an ever-expanding corpus of writing which deals either directly with his work or uses his ideas as the basis for other research. Indeed, some of his concepts, notably his work on power, are now so well recognised as to often appear without attribution. Aside from being widely used at the research level, Foucault's work is also commonly referred to in university courses across the humanities and the social sciences as well as in applied professional disciplines such as education, architecture and social work. There are several research and discussion networks in existence which focus on his work, including the Centre Michel Foucault in Paris, the History of the Present groups in Canada and the UK, the Foucault Circle in the USA and a new Centro de Estudios Multidisciplinarios Michel Foucault in Mexico. In the virtual sphere, the popularity of the various Foucault websites on the internet attests to the influence of his work: the Michel Foucault: Resources site for example, averages up to 500 hits a day from all over the world. There are also two major email discussion lists which deal with his work and a number of other minor lists.With so much activity - and ever increasing activity - around Foucault's work, a journal which deals specifically and directly with his work and its impact was more than overdue. Although there are a select number of journals which publish various kinds of research influenced by Foucault's work (as well as other French thinkers),this is the only journal which provides a specifically focused forum for the direct discussion of his work, including criticisms, developments and applications, the publication of new translations and reviews and reports of books, conferences and other activities. Aims of the journalThe journal aims to provide a forum for discussion of Foucault which goes beyond received orthodoxies, simplifications and uncritical appropriations. In particular, the journal seeks to publish work which utilises not only the more familiar material by Foucault but also the wide range of material made available by the 1994 publication in French of a four volume collection of over 360 of Foucault's shorter writings and the more recent (and ongoing) publication of his lectures. Much of this material is still in the process of being translated into English, and it revolutionises ways of thinking about his work.Recognising that Foucault's work is being used productively across the globe and across a whole range of disciplines, the journal invites submissions of material that not only deals with his work directly but also material that critiques, updates and augments his claims across very diverse geographical, disciplinary and historical domains. The journal aims to cover the full breadth of these interests, including power, politics, law, history, social and cultural theory, sexuality, race, religion, gender studies, psychoanalysis, philosophy, geography, architecture, education, health studies, management studies, media studies as well as others. The journal also invites translations of shorter pieces from Foucault's oeuvre, and carries book reviews and conference and seminar reports.