From 30 September 2026 to 15 January 2026, the exhibition ‘Foucault: An Intellectual Adventure at the Collège de France’ explores the career of Michel Foucault (1926–1984) at the institution where he taught from 1970 to 1984. To mark the centenary of his birth, previously unpublished manuscripts, archive material and audio and video testimonies trace the development of a body of thought that remains deeply relevant today.
On 12 April 1970, the philosopher Michel Foucault – the celebrated yet controversial author of *Madness and Civilisation* and *The Order of Things* – was elected to the Collège de France to the Chair of the History of Systems of Thought. This election was by no means a foregone conclusion for a scholar who had initially taught psychology but rejected disciplinary allegiances, and whose career was already marked by outbursts and strong political commitments. It marked the beginning of an intellectual journey lasting nearly fourteen years, the echoes of which can still be heard today, as evidenced by the influence of concepts such as ‘governmentality’, ‘biopolitics’, ‘pastoral power’ and ‘regime of truth’.
Her lectures at the Collège de France were far more than a rough draft of her written work. They enabled her to explore new fields and test new hypotheses. Their influence began very early on, fuelled by public acclaim and the free circulation of recordings and typescripts. It quickly spread beyond the borders of France, thanks to an international audience and the philosopher’s numerous stays abroad, notably in the United States, Brazil and Japan. The posthumous publication of the lectures, followed by their translations around the world, have made them a body of work in their own right, as widely read and cited as the books published during his lifetime. They have thus given his thought an unexpected second life, as they renew our understanding of the issues he addressed and shed light on his method.
The hundred or so items on display – unpublished manuscripts, personal effects, audio and video archives – trace a dazzling international career cut short too soon, leaving behind a considerable body of scholarly work. In particular, the exhibition sheds light on the coherence and enduring nature of a constantly evolving body of thought that rejected categorisation. It recreates this journey within a network of friendships and peers at the Collège de France, but also through strategies and struggles beyond its walls, reminding us that knowledge is also a matter of power.
An exhibition organised by the Collège de France in partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
