Philatelic Document - Michel Foucault 1926–1984

Michel Foucault is one of the best-known French philosophers of the 20th century, both for the depth of his thought and for his international influence. Born in Poitiers on October 15, 1926, into a family of surgeons, he attended the École normale supérieure on Rue d’Ulm (1946–1951). After earning his agrégation in philosophy, he became a professor of psychology, then of philosophy, before holding the chair of History of Systems of Thought at the Collège de France from 1970 until June 25, 1984, the date of his death in Paris. At the same time, he developed a rich and innovative body of thought addressing, among other topics: madness, the birth of the humanities, the emergence of the penal system, the use of pleasures and self-governance, not to mention literary and aesthetic analyses (Manet, Raymond Roussel). He published numerous works, including *Madness and Unreason*. *A History of Madness in the Classical Age* (1961), *The Order of Things* (1966), *The Archaeology of Knowledge* (1969), *Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison* (1975), *The History of Sexuality* (1976–1984). Through the themes he explores, the author engages in a meticulous historical reflection aimed at explaining the succession of ruptures that transform social discourses and practices, never losing sight of this fundamental question: “ What is philosophy—I mean the activity of philosophy—if not the critical work of thought upon itself? And if it does not consist, rather than in legitimizing what we already know, in undertaking to discover how and to what extent it might be possible to think otherwise? ” Michel Foucault is also that “specific intellectual,” engaged with his time, who gives voice to prisoners, lends his support to Tunisian students, and campaigns in defense of the boat people and Solidarność. His prolific thought, widely disseminated throughout the world—both through translations and through the lectures he delivered in the Americas, Japan, and North Africa—continues to inspire numerous research projects today.

Timbre-poste (taille-douce) : création et mise en page Louis Genty d’ap. photos (portrait) Marc Garanger / Aurimages et (portail) Collège de France Document philatélique et cachet d’oblitération : création et mise en page Louis Genty Texte : Anne Thalamy et Henri-Paul Fruchaud