ABSTRACT
To the question whether a Foucauldian feminism is a contradiction in terms, a Foucauldian feminist might reply; ‘No, not a contradiction but a continual contestation.’
(Sawicki, 1988:176)
Feminist theory has often been in the position of responding to male social theorists, be it within the context of Marxism, liberalism or psychoanalysis. In exploring the work of Michel Foucault, perhaps this book will be pigeon-holed as yet another instance of this recurrent pattern, as still caught within the heterosexual matrix of a feminist responding to the work of a ‘great’ male thinker. Of course it will be for the reader to judge whether this is ultimately what this work does. For my part, I do not consider the argument to be concerned with why feminism needs Foucault. His work is not the source of all answers to feminist questions and it is not the intention to set up Foucault as an infallible authority; my aim is instead to extract those parts of his work which are pertinent to feminist inquiry in search of a productive dialogue.
