Abstract

The author addresses the issue of the political orientation of Michel Foucault’s philosophy. The main question asked is whether there is a continuity between Foucault’s political engagement and his theoretical declarations. The author focuses on Foucault’s connection to Marxism as an indicator of his political orientation. He suggests that even though Foucault held a negative opinion toward the ‘global’ and ‘universalist’ projects of human liberation, his critical attitude based on the concept of intelectuel specific implies a certain form of a moderate leftist commitment on his part. In the conclusion, the author postulates that one can find elements of a ‘radical democratic’ attitude in Foucault’s philosophy, which is characteristic of the ‘post-Marxist’ trends in contemporary political thought. Key words FOUCAULT, MARXISM