The Discourse of Michel Foucault

“Itinerari”

Special Issue 2026

Editors: Adriano Ardovino, Chiara Scarlato

Description

On the occasion of the centenary of Michel Foucault’s birth (15 October 1926 – 25 June 1984), the 2026 special issue of Itinerari aims to encourage a rigorous reflection on the Foucauldian notion of “discourse”, encompassing its historical, philological and conceptual extensions. In consideration of the persistent recurrence of the lemma discours within the comprehensive Foucauldian corpus of works, courses, interviews and other materials, contributors are invited to propose possible definitions of this notion, but also to suggest potential definitions and/or to offer critical insights regarding the usage of this lemma in conjunction with other pivotal expressions including formation discursive, énoncé, dispositif, épistémè, récit, parrhesia, aveuglement, dire-vrai. As it is widely acknowledged that Foucault’s reflections on discourse extend beyond the 1960s ‘archaeological phase’, the issue would also encompass Foucauldian further research devoted to the microphysics of the body and the relationship between power and knowledge, as articulated, for instance, in his biopolitics.

Topic areas

1. Analysis and function: effective roles, possible definitions and main critical problems related to the usage/adoption of the lemma discourse, with particular attention not only to the years of gestation and publication of works such as Words and Things and The Order of Discourse, but also to previous and subsequent texts, such as The Philosophical Discourse and The Archaeology of Knowledge.
2. Sources and areas: possible historical, linguistic, conceptual and authorial roots of the notion of discourse, as it was developed and rethought by Foucault during his overall work.
3. Themes and practices: ways in which the notion of discourse has been integrated by Foucault with the analysis of some other crucial themes (i.e. literature and the body) and/or practices (i.e. discipline and confession).  
4. Comparison and difference: ways in which the Foucauldian notion of discourse can be compared with the work of other authors, including i.e. Benveniste, Bourdieu, Deleuze, Derrida, Dreyfus, Frank, Habermas, Lacan, Pêcheux, Rabinow, who have further explored, interpreted and/or criticized Foucault’s insights on this issue.

Instructions for authors

Submitted papers should be original and should not exceed 35.000 characters, including spaces and footnotes, prepared for double anonymous peer review, with no identifying references to the author, and accompanied by an abstract (in English) of no more than 300 words, plus 5 keywords. Authors will be promptly informed about the acceptance of the abstract. 

Accepted languages: Italian, English, French.

Abstracts should be sent by Wednesday December 31, 2025 to rivistaitinerari@gmail.com, adriano.ardovino@unich.it, chiara.scarlato@unich.it, specifying in the e-mail subject: CFP Foucault. Please include a note in the e-mail text explaining the selected topic area among the four described above. The submission of contributions, following abstract acceptance, is scheduled for May 30, 2026. Each contribution will undergo a peer review process in accordance with the editorial rules of the journal.