Michel Foucault books in order
French philosopher
- Lived
- 1926–1984
- Country
- France
- Books
- 44
- Series
- 2
Michel Foucault published 4 novels, 1 novella, 35 non-fiction books and 4 other books, beginning with Madness and Civilization (1961). The 2 series include Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France (5 books, starting with Society Must Be Defended) and The History of Sexuality (3 books, starting with La Volonté De Savoir). The best-known is Discipline and Punish (1975).
Updated September 2026
Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Society Must Be Defended (1976) · 2 Hermeneutics of the Subject (1980) · 3 Les Anormaux (1999) · 4 The Birth of Biopolitics (2004) · 5 Security, Territory, Population (2007)
- 1.
Society Must Be Defended (1976)
- 2.
Hermeneutics of the Subject (1980)
- 3.
Les Anormaux (1999)
- 4.
The Birth of Biopolitics (2004)
- 5.
Security, Territory, Population (2007)
The History of Sexuality books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 La Volonté De Savoir (1976) · 2 L'usage Des Plaisirs (1984) · 3 Le Souci De Soi (1984)
- 1.
La Volonté De Savoir (1976)
- 2.
L'usage Des Plaisirs (1984)
- 3.
Le Souci De Soi (1984)
Where to start with Michel Foucault
Start here
Discipline and Punish
Michel Foucault's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Discipline and Punish (Feb 1975)
Novellas in order
L'Ordre Du Discours (1970)
Non-fiction in order
Madness and Civilization (1961)
Death and the Labyrinth (1963)
The Birth of the Clinic (1963)
Mental Illness and Psychology (1966)
The Order of Things (1966)
The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969)
The History of Sexuality (1976)
Language, Counter-memory, Practice (1977)
I, Pierre Rivière, Having Slaughtered My Mother, My Sister, and My Brother (1978)
Power/knowledge (1980)
The Foucault Reader (1984)
Dream & Existence (1986)
Foucault (1986)
Politics, Philosophy, Culture (1988)
Technologies of the Self (1988)
Foucault Live (1989)
Ethics (1997)
The Essential Works of Foucault, 1954-1984 (1997)
The Politics of Truth (1997)
Abnormal (2000)
Power (2000)
The Essential Foucault (2003)
History of Madness (2006)
This Is Not a Pipe (Jul 2008)
The Government of Self and Others (2010)
Religion and Culture (2013)
Speech Begins After Death (2013)
Wrong-doing, Truth-telling (2014)
Chomsky - Foucault Debate (2015)
History of Sexuality: 4 (2018)
Other books in order
L'histoire De La Sexualité, T.1 (1976)
Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972-1977 (1980)
Física Universitaria (1999)
Fearless Speech (2001)
About Michel Foucault
Paul-Michel Foucault, known as Michel Foucault, was a French philosopher, literary critic, and historian of ideas who analyzed the relationships between power, knowledge, and liberty, and how they are used as a form of social control through institutions. Sometimes called a structuralist or postmodernist, he rejected these labels and sought to critique authority without limiting himself. His thought has influenced academics in many areas of study, including anthropology, communication studies, criminology, cultural studies, feminism, literary theory, psychology, and sociology. His arguments against homophobia, racial prejudice, and other ideological doctrines have also shaped scholarship on critical theory and Marxism.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Michel Foucault FAQ
- How many books has Michel Foucault written?
- Michel Foucault published 4 novels, 1 novella, 35 non-fiction books and 4 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Michel Foucault's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France with Society Must Be Defended and The History of Sexuality with La Volonté De Savoir. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Michel Foucault's last book?
- Foucault (1986).
- What is Michel Foucault's most famous book?
- Discipline and Punish (1975) is Michel Foucault's most widely read book.
- Are Michel Foucault's books connected?
- 8 books belong to 2 series (Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France and The History of Sexuality); the other 36 books stand alone.
Authors like Michel Foucault
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.