ABSTRACT
The influence of Foucault’s writings on sexuality, especially The History of Sexuality (1978-86), on subsequent studies of sexuality, gender and the discourses of power and oppression has been profound. In particular, Foucault has revolutionized the study of the social history of classical antiquity, where, with fifth-fourth century BC Athens, he ultimately decided to begin his investigations. Foucault’s intellectual framework is a maze in which a large amount of recent work on gender in classical antiquity is trapped. But every maze has a way out. Here I will argue that there are considerable difficulties with Foucault’s historical construction and contextualization of the discourses of sexuality and the implications of these discourses for both past societies and our own. This is not to say his contribution has been negligible; far from it. Foucault provides an analytical framework which can be expanded to explore the implications of sex and gender in the whole of social life.
