The History of Sexuality: Volume 1

What factors shape societal norms? Do norms benefit or harm individuals?

How did an increase in religious prohibition contribute to an increase in general discourse about sex and sexuality? How does religion shape how humans think about sex today?

Foucault argues that sexuality is a historical construct. What evidence from the text supports this claim? How might Foucault’s argument be used to interpret contemporary attitudes about sexuality?

How was Foucault influenced by Nietzsche? What evidence of Nietzsche’s influence can you find in The History of Sexuality? For example, how does Foucault’s genealogical approach mirror Nietzsche’s work in On the Genealogy of Morals?

Foucault’s rebuttal of the repressive hypothesis suggests that even ostensibly liberatory movements like the sexual revolution ultimately serve the purposes of power. Is there a space for genuine rebellion, or is power so pervasive that all reactions to it only make it stronger?

How does Foucault’s historical analysis hold up considering contemporary attitudes about sex and sexuality? How might you continue his thesis to include a recent historical frame of reference?

Foucault argues that the relationship between sex and power first appeared within aristocratic family units. What purposes did it serve in that context? What did the medicalization of feminine sexuality look like, and how is it related to power?

What other historical occurrences could be studied through the lens of discontinuities? Identify one grand historical narrative—e.g. the narrative of technological progress, or of ever-increasing social equality—and then identify one area of discontinuity that challenges this narrative.