Like Foucault's earlier works, The History of Sexuality (1976) is ground-breaking and controversial. His claim that sexuality is more a social concept than the product of biological instincts challenges the accepted idea that it was the rise of modernity and capitalism that resulted in repression of sexualities. On the contrary, Foucault argues, as sex became the object of scientific study, sexual practices were labelled either "normal" or "deviant"—and laws regulating sexual practices strengthened government control. The text has become foundational in many areas including the study of Queer Theory, Gender Studies and Anthropology.
