Paul-Michel Foucault (15 October 1926 – 25 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily addressed the relationships between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social control through societal institutions.

Though often cited as a structuralist and postmodernist, Foucault rejected these labels. He sought to critique authority without limits on himself and influenced many areas of study, including anthropology, communication studies, criminology, cultural studies, feminism, literary theory, psychology, and sociology.

Born in Poitiers, France, into an upper-middle-class family, Foucault was educated at the Lycée Henri-IV, at the École Normale Supérieure, and at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), where he earned degrees in philosophy and psychology. He published significant works such as The History of Madness (1961), The Birth of the Clinic (1963), The Order of Things (1966), and later, Discipline and Punish (1975) and The History of Sexuality (1976).

Foucault was active in left-wing groups and engaged in campaigns against racism and violations of human rights, focusing on penal reform and other struggles. He is known for his analyses on power dynamics and the critique of modernity, rejecting the labels of poststructuralist and postmodernist.

Foucault died in Paris from complications of HIV/AIDS, becoming a prominent public figure in France to succumb to the disease. His partner, Daniel Defert, founded the AIDES charity in his memory, continuing to campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness.