معرفی
Michael C. Behrent is a Professor in the Department of History at Appalachian State University, where he teaches courses on modern European history, the history of European thought, the Western intellectual tradition, and modern French history. He also regularly teaches "Writing History" (HIS 2800), the senior seminar, and general education courses on cultural history, with a particular emphasis on using philosophical and literary texts as sources for understanding the past.
Dr. Behrent earned his Ph.D. from New York University with areas of study focusing on Europe, European Intellectual History, and Modern France.
His research primarily centers on the work of French philosopher Michel Foucault, with recent scholarship seeking to historicize Foucault's thought. His initial work evaluated the political significance of Foucault's reflections on free-market economics within France's 1970s ideological landscape. His current project examines how Foucault's upbringing in Poitiers (France) from the 1920s to 1940s influenced his philosophical development. A subsequent project aims to reconstruct the thought of the "young Foucault" spanning 1949 through the mid-1960s.
Dr. Behrent has also written extensively on nineteenth-century French political thought (particularly the relationship between religion and republicanism), the history of liberal and democratic thought, and contemporary French political philosophy. His scholarship demonstrates consistent engagement with questions of liberalism across historical periods, connecting intellectual history with political theory and cultural analysis.
His recent publications reveal a strong focus on Foucault studies, with particular attention to the philosopher's relationship with neoliberalism, French political thought, and the development of his ideas. Dr. Behrent's work spans multiple disciplinary boundaries, showing how philosophical ideas emerge from specific historical contexts and interact with broader political and social developments.
Dr. Behrent has received several prestigious awards for his work, including:
- Richard N. Henson Outstanding Adviser Award (2013)
- Rennie W. Brantz Award for Outstanding Teaching in First Year Seminar (2012)
- Chester Penn Higby Prize for the best article appearing in the Journal of Modern History over a two-year period (2009-2010)
As an active scholar, Dr. Behrent serves as an academic adviser and has published extensively in top-tier journals. He also engages with broader public discourse by writing about American politics and culture for French publications like Esprit, and about French politics and culture for American and British venues including Dissent, Foreign Policy, and the Oxford University Press blog. His work bridges academic scholarship and public intellectual engagement, particularly through collaborative projects with Emile Chabal and Marion Van Renterghem on contemporary French politics and elections.
