Michel Foucault
THE GREAT CONFINEMENT from Madness and Civilization
Study Questions:
What is the great confinement? When did the great confinement start? What are its landmarks?
What kind of people find themselves in the walls of the Hopital General? Why in your opinion they ended up there? Who was targeted by this institution?
Discuss the concept of a marginal figure. What are the marginalizing factors? Give examples of marginal figures from our previous text. Who are the marginal figures in this text?
On page 40 we are told that the Hopital General was ?not a medical establishment.? What was it then?
What does Michel Foucault say about international import of the great confinement?
What events, sensibilities and considerations brought about the great confinement?
On page 54 we read about the failure of the Houses of confinement? What was the reason of this establishment`s failure?
What were the theological underpinnings of the great confinement?
What is the religious dimension/meaning of the problem discussed in this article?
Comment on the ethical meaning of the great confinement. (57)
Discuss the values, including ethical values, embraced by the Renaissance as opposed to the Classical world. (58)
How is the word ascesis (59) used in this article?
What does MF say in this article about the ideas of "social happiness" (63)?
