BBC Radio 4 programme - What the Foucault?

[FindTheTruth]

Radio 4 Analysis - What the Foucault?
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wcd4

Men (mostly men) on Twitter talking about the programme
twitter.com/search?q=focault%20bbc&src=typed_query

Dr Heather Brunskell-Evans, 2017 article - A FOUCAULDIAN ANALYSIS
www.heather-brunskell-evans.co.uk/body-politics/foucault/

Wikipedia
Michael Focault on Wikipedia

Summary of the programme
Last December Liz Truss made a speech. The Minister for Women and Equalities spoke about her memories of being at school in Leeds. She was taught about sexism and racism, she said, but not enough time was spent on being taught how to read and write. "These ideas," said Truss, "have their roots in post-modernist philosophy - pioneered by Foucault - that put societal power structures and labels ahead of individuals and their endeavours."

So do Foucault's ideas pose a real danger to social and cultural life in Britain? Or is he a "bogeyman" deployed by some politicians to divide and distract us from real issues?

In this edition of Analysis, writer and academic Shahidha Bari tries to make sense of Foucault's influence in the UK - and asks whether his ideas really do have an effect on Britain today.

Producer: Ant Adeane
Editor: Jasper Corbett

Contributors:
Agnes Poirier, journalist and author of Left Bank: Art, Passion, and the Rebirth of Paris, 1940-50

Michael Drolet, Senior Research Fellow in the History of Political Thought, Worcester College, University of Oxford

Lisa Downing, Professor of French Discourses of Sexuality at the University of Birmingham

Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and Co-Director of the Institute of Intellectual History

Matthew Goodwin, Professor of Politics in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent

Clare Chambers, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Cambridge

Charlotte Riley, Lecturer in Twentieth-Century British History at the University of Southampton

Couple of recent Heather Brunskell-Evans interviews discussing Foucault:

writer and academic Shahidha Bari TWEET

Shahidha Bari Radio Studio microphoneBooks🖌@ShahidhaBari

Michel Foucault:"thinker of rebellion" or "pernicious postmodernist"? Liz Truss thinks he's shaped modern British society for the worse. Has he? We discuss on @BBC_Analysis with @DrClareChambers @ProfLisaDowning @GoodwinMJ @AgnesCPoirier @lottelydia

Because paedophilia is where it is at.

In the programme the paedophilia is briefly mentioned towards the end in a way reminiscent of a flaw like talking too loud at dinner parties. They ring fence this away from his ideas.

The tone of the programme is how it's a shame that the little people or people like Liz Truss can't understand Foucault's superior thinking. I don't think they give any space to the appalling vista that perhaps Foucault's ideas are unhelpful.

I should have also said, apart from Matt Goodwin. He didn't sound that convinced by the world Foucault wanted to bring us.

When's the programme on?

From the Wikipedia article he sounds like a creep who was trying to philosophise his way out of being a Paedophile. Hasn’t there just been a big scandal in France about underage and incestuous sex in left wing philosophical circles.

@nauticant 'They ring fence this away from his ideas.' Yes, they did, which is odd. Think how often modern biographies of writers or other famous people now focus on their sexuality, especially if it was previously hidden. When E. M. Forster, Oscar Wilde, Alan Turing or Tove Jansson are discussed now, their sexuality is the focus and becomes the prism through which their work is now read and written about - there are even plays and movies centred on it.

But when it's a male French philosopher GC feminists dislike, has been criticised by a female Tory, and who actually wrote extensively about sexuality, his own paedophilia is only mentioned as a postscript, and pretty well dismissed as fabricated in the same breath.

The impression I got is that the BBC, influenced by the "right" kind of academics, wanted to put forward the case to defend Foucault's legacy. Because it was being criticised by bad people, ie Tories and others leaning to the right.

What I learned from this is that BBC never learn. Give them someone who falls into a group to be defended and the BBC will suddenly fall blind while defending them all the way.

One of the things that interests me (and please forgive, it's a long time since I turned the pages of anything Foucault related) is the move from the power imposition from above and to the inculcation throughout our lives. How could this ever be proven? My other interest in the move to the individual is how this can be a tool for the Alt left in any organisation that has a trade unionised workforce. In effect, all of our government departments.

If overthrow of governments is not possible in a democracy, the only other way is a long term plan to seize the levers of power, until a soft left government can be voted in. This would though, throw Foucault into disarray because if we are programmed, we wouldn't be able to break free of this in order to take our own little slice of power and join with others.

Tech giants are terrifying

Somewhat related, people might find this interesting:

www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/opinion/michel-foucault.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage&fbclid=IwAR1kQrxYijUOeI8me8cFcUizFZMbIfuj15rgvn9xqUxVRsbygn9GokKtVoI

In the programme the paedophilia is briefly mentioned towards the end in a way reminiscent of a flaw like talking too loud at dinner parties. They ring fence this away from his ideas.

See, I think someone who raped children is just someone I would find it impossible to respect or take seriously.

That seemed to be the BBC position in the immediate aftermath of Savile but it looks like that's faded away somewhat.

Maybe it's just that there's something wrong with the BBC:

twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1396639051277488137