Subjectivity and Truth

The Authors: Tina (A.C.) Besley is Professor of Counseling in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at California State University, San Bernardino. She has degrees in geography, education, and counseling, and research interests in related areas. She is the author of numerous papers and books, including Counseling Youth: Foucault, Power, and the Ethics of Subjectivity (2006).
Michael A. Peters is Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Adjunct Professor of Education at the University of Glasgow. With degrees in English literature, geography, philosophy, and education, his research interests focus on educational philosophy and policy studies. He is the author or editor of some thirty books, including most recently Deconstructing Derrida: Tasks for the New Humanities (with Peter Trifonas, 2005); Edutopias: New Utopian Thinking in Education (with John Freeman-Moir, 2006); and Building Knowledge Cultures: Education and Development in an Age of Knowledge Capitalism (with Tina (A.C.) Besley, 2006).

«An analytical rendezvous between Foucault's writing on modern forms of power, as they are articulated in the microphysics of subjectivity and technologies of truth, and the contemporary challenges of educational theory and pedagogical practice is long overdue. In 'Subjectivity & Truth', Tina (A. C.) Besley and Michael A. Peters have inaugurated a vigorous discussion on the relevance of Foucault's philosophical writings on subjectivity and truth to the pedagogical and ethical challenges confronting the contemporary educator. In this sophisticated and elegant book, Besley and Peters have dug deep at the wellspring of the interdisciplines of history, philosophy, literature, aesthetics, ethics, and cultural policy, offering an abundance of rich, thoughtful, and illuminating insights on Foucault's extraordinary work. This book takes us beyond the banality of much of critical scholarship now being conducted in the educational field. It should be required reading for all those interested in the relevance of Foucault's thinking to the quotidian work that we do as educational theorists and practitioners. -- Cameron McCarthy

«An analytical rendezvous between Foucault's writing on modern forms of power, as they are articulated in the microphysics of subjectivity and technologies of truth, and the contemporary challenges of educational theory and pedagogical practice is long overdue. In 'Subjectivity & Truth', Tina (A.C.) Besley and Michael A. Peters have inaugurated a vigorous discussion on the relevance of Foucault's philosophical writings on subjectivity and truth to the pedagogical and ethical challenges confronting the contemporary educator. In this sophisticated and elegant book, Besley and Peters have dug deep at the wellspring of the interdisciplines of history, philosophy, literature, aesthetics, ethics, and cultural policy, offering an abundance of rich, thoughtful, and illuminating insights on Foucault's extraordinary work. This book takes us beyond the banality of much of critical scholarship now being conducted in the educational field. It should be required reading for all those interested in the relevance of Foucault's thinking to the quotidian work that we do as educational theorists and practitioners.» (Cameron McCarthy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
«It is always surprising how Foucault's philosophical project continues to inspire. Here we have a series of penetrating and brilliant chapters on aspects of Foucault's thought, richly embellished and utilized to inform education and the social sciences. This book represents a new and powerful contribution to the field. It will be important reading for experts and students alike.» (Mark Olssen, University of Surrey, United Kingdom; Author of 'Michel Foucault: Materialism and Education')
«This book represents the polished culmination of years of work by the authors on Foucault. Tina (A.C.) Besley and Michael A. Peters provide an insightful and readable analysis of Foucault's later writings on the self, bodies, truth telling, and governmentality, at the same time skillfully linking this work to a range of