Michel Foucault and His New Knowledge.

Abstract

Archeology is a scientific branch concerned with the study of ancient civilizations, but Foucault employs this term in a different or metaphorical way. Foucault uses the term to name his approach, a concept which appeared for the first time in his book, History of Madness in the Classical Era, and later in most of his other works. This concept is very often associated with another concept called genealogy, such as the genealogy of history and the genealogy of knowledge. This study aims to present an interpretation of these concepts and to illustrate the interconnections between them. The study concludes that archeology is unlike genealogy. Rather, it analyzes discursive practices that obey certain rules, terms, and principles. In other words, it identifies the whole set of rules followed in order to reveal knowledge of a certain historical period. In addition, Foucault does not equate genealogy with the restoration of the past or the sovereignty of the self but argues that genealogy deepens the separation in our very existence. Hence, the study shows that the purpose of both archeology and genealogy is to describe the event in its uniqueness and unity. Foucault does not intend to uncover neither a past life (archeology) nor a certain essence (genealogy) but, rather, he aims to describe the discourse in terms of its conditions, rules, and principles, and which is formed at the moment (archeology). Foucault is not concerned with the metaphysical essence of concepts, seeing as the essence itself may have formed gradually in a genealogical way.