Foucault and Perpetua: Trials in Truth-Telling

This paper treats passages of the martyrdom account of Perpetua in conversation with the late work of Michel Foucault, in particular the History of Sexuality volume 4:Confessions of the Flesh and the lectures at the College de France (1978 - 2084). The reading parses mechanics of truth-telling and modes of subject formation in the account through its attentions to the practices of truth-telling demonstrated by Perpetua and the rhetorical elements of the martyrdom account itself. In addition, the reading raises a tension in using the Foucauldian frameworks to read the martyrdom account. By driving towards these sites of tension, the discussion aims to address what Foucault's late work can contribute to the study of early Christian martyrdom accounts and what early Christian martyrdom accounts can contribute to the study of Foucault.