FOUCAULT, FILÓSOFO

ELEMENTOS PARA PENSAR A EDUCAÇÃO

Abstract

The paper explores the reception and impact of Michel Foucault’s thought in education, highlighting his influence in both France and Brazil. Despite his notoriety as a philosopher, Foucault was perceived in the French academic community more as an intellectual of the history of thought than as a traditional philosopher. After his death, his work gained recognition in various fields, including education, although its reception in French was slower compared to the English-speaking world. In Brazil, the diffusion of Foucault’s ideas in education began with the work of Tomaz Tadeu da Silva and Alfredo Veiga-Neto, who organized collections of Foucaultian studies, fostering a vigorous debate about his contributions. Research in education using Foucault in Brazil has evolved in three phases: initially focused on disciplinary power, then on governmentality, and more recently on notions of care of the self and parresia, drawn from Foucault’s later courses. The paper also distinguishes between two ways of using Foucault in research: as methodological operators and as conceptual operators, allowing for exploration of education from new perspectives. The reflection on “psychagogy” exemplifies how his ideas can challenge contemporary educational practices, promoting a more subjective and transformative approach. Thus, Foucault’s legacy remains relevant, stimulating new approaches and educational practices in Brazil.