Michel Foucault as a Forerunner of the 20th Century Sociology of Knowledge

Abstract

Foucault’s distinctive creativity is elicited as a source of modern sociology of knowledge. His significant influence on the writings of T. S. Kuhn and his partisans, especially on the paradigm-change model, as well as on the strong program of sociology of knowledge (S. Barnes, D. Bloor et al.) is unfolded. It is contended that exactly ‘practice’ epitomizes Foucault’s pivotal notion that underlies his startling impact on the sociology of knowledge.