(1926–1984) Foucault was a French philosopher who wrote three volumes on the history of sexuality. He challenged Freud's view that women and men are sexually repressed by their cultures. He theorised about the role of power in sexual relationships. He suggested that power does not always come from the top down, but from the bottom up, as well. He believed that people have sexual power as individuals, despite sexual law or cultural norms. Although his ideas were not always based in scientific or historical fact, Foucault's work enabled many people who belonged to oppressed sexual minorities to view themselves as powerful individuals, capable of resisting dominant sexual norms.