Sexuality

The text is principally concerned with the relationship between sexuality and power and with the history of sexuality. By "sexuality," Foucault does not mean sex or the physical experience of coitus; in fact, he often notes that sexuality is quite distinct from sex. Instead he defines sexuality as a purely historical construct that is difficult to easily understand - a network of the stimulation of bodies, the intensification of pleasures, and the incitement to discourse, which forms a special knowledge. Thus, sexuality varies by time and place. The specific textual concept of sexuality is integral to an understanding of the thesis but, strangely, Foucault does not explain the meaning of sexuality until Part 4, Chapter 3.

Power

The text is principally concerned with the relationship between sexuality and power. By "power," Foucault decidedly does not mean a traditional interpretation of hierarchical structures, where power flows from the top down...