Foucault's theories primarily addressed the relationships between power versus knowledge and liberty , and he analyzed how they are used as a form of social control through multiple institutions. Though often cited as a structuralist and postmodernist , Foucault rejected these labels and sought to critique authority without limits on himself.
His efforts against homophobia and racial prejudice as well as against other ideological doctrines have also shaped research into critical theory and Marxism—Leninism alongside other topics. After several years as a cultural diplomat abroad, he returned to France and published his first major book, The History of Madness After obtaining work between and at the University of Clermont-Ferrand , he produced The Birth of the Clinic and The Order of Things , publications that displayed his increasing involvement with structuralism, from which he later distanced himself.
These first three histories exemplified a historiographical technique Foucault was developing, which he called "archaeology". From to , Foucault lectured at the University of Tunis before returning to France, where he became head of the philosophy department at the new experimental university of Paris VIII.
Foucault subsequently published The Archaeology of Knowledge He also became active in several left-wing groups involved in campaigns against racism and other violations of human rights , focusing on struggles such as penal reform. Foucault later published Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality , in which he developed archaeological and genealogical methods that emphasized the role that power plays in society.
He became the first public figure in France to die from complications of the disease, with his charisma and career influence changing mass awareness of the pandemic.
