Truth; Power; Self (An Introduction to Michel Foucault's Thought on the Subject: In the Struggle of Power, Truth, and Resistance)

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors

1 PhD in sociology at Allameh Tabatabaee University

2 professor in Women Study at Allameh Tabatabaei

3 Associate Professor in Sociology at Allameh Tabatabaei

10.48308/kj.2026.243509.1412

Abstract

It has been criticized that Foucault did not explain resistance and that his subject is imprisoned within itself and subjugated by language. The present research understands Foucault's subject, in most of his works, not as a subject but as a subjugated-subject; however, it claims that he also spoke of a subject that has existential aspects—this subject is no longer subjugated, and without this subject, Foucault's intellectual framework remains incomplete. The idea of resistance is always present throughout the expanse of his works, and this concept has an ontological correspondence with the concept of the subject. In reality, Foucault speaks of two subjects: first, a subjugated subject that emerges within discourse and the practices of power and self-techniques. This subject bears a clear resemblance to the subjects of Lacan and Althusser. Second, a subject capable of re-creation and self-creation, which can disrupt the knowledge-power game and create, not discover, a new identity. This subject is close to Nietzsche's envisioned Übermensch. The present study will first provide a brief overview of Foucault's archaeological-genealogical thought and its emancipatory aspects, then address the issue of the subject. The main emphasis is on Foucault's second subject, which, despite its considerable importance, has received less attention due to the dense discourses surrounding the first subject.

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 February 2026
  • Revise Date: 11 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 02 May 2026

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