Closer Look: Foucault, History of Sexuality Vol. 1

In this episode of Overthink, co-hosts Ellie Anderson and David delve into Michel Foucault's "The History of Sexuality, Volume 1," initiating a series called "A Closer Look" for in-depth text analyses. They dissect Foucault's challenge to the repressive hypothesis, which posits that Western societies have historically repressed sexuality, arguing instead that the 18th and 19th centuries saw a proliferation of discourses around sex. The hosts explore Foucault's concepts of power as productive rather than repressive, the role of confession and scientific discourse in shaping sexuality, and the distinctions between ars erotica and scientia sexualis. They also touch on Foucault's views on labels, the medicalization of sex, and the complexities of resistance within power structures, questioning whether Foucault's concept of power is too general and homogeneous.