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Hi,

I handed in my PhD on Foucault 2 years ago. I had to wait 3 months for my viva and basically was worrying myself sick over many of the same things that you are during this time. I got into such a state that with  8 weeks to go I made the decision to put my thesis down until 2 days before and not think about it until then. I am not recommending this but, in my case, this drastic measure was necessary to avoid some sort of major meltdown that may have seen me not show up at all.

Anyway, and this is I hope where I can help you because, like me, you are in a very singular position for someone who has just submitted. You are currently one of the few people who will have a strong handle on all of F's 'new' literature: I'm talking about the recently published lecture series etc that there is not really much of a literature on yet. Even if your examiners have read them it is unlikely that they would have had the time to make the in depth analysis of them that you have and draw deep conclusions from them. Even if I have missed the point and you aren't using this new material after the past few years hard work your knowledge of F will be much more detailed that your examiners and I am sure that you will be able to hold your own in any discussion.

In my opinion as long as you can find a way to carry yourself into your viva with three things firmly in mind you will be well prepared.

First, the confidence that you have this  oeuvre at your fingertips, or more so than just about anyone else, as who has been thinking about these concerns as intensely as you over these past few years.

Second, is the standard viva preparation. The argument why your work is worthy, why it adds to Foucauldian or another field of scholarship, what lacunae it addresses, and most importantly, why your main thesis question was important and a good and brief summary of how you answered it.

Finally, you need to be relaxed enough on the day to admit that you might have gone into some issues in more detail and that perhaps other things could have been glossed over: perhaps even omitted. Although they will probably not admit it to you your examiners may well be intimidated by your fresh and deep knowledge of this oeuvre and, for reasons of plain old academic self-esteem, they will want to make points such as these to feel they have a contribution to make and are earning their fees. What I did when these points came up, after feeling them out that my shortcomings weren't going to be the end of the world, was to concede that they had a point and that such things could be addressed IN SUBSEQUENT PUBLICATIONS: i.e. not in any PhD revisions. If you can't get away with this, if there are a few points to rework in your thesis, there is no shame in this. If this is the case be very clear with them about how you understand their criticisms and how you intend to address them.

I don't come onto this forum much but will check it over the next few days as you should feel free to PM me if you want to exchange messages or speak over the phone. Remember most of those who have written on Foucault - critically or enthusiastically -  or even just relied heavily on his method or tools, as much as they might argue amongst themselves, are a sort of little nerdy and not very social club of near strangers who share a common passion; and this club is always looking for new members in one way or another.

I hope the above doesn't come off as haughty or vain but it helped my viva to be successful.

Sapere Aude
Chippy

Its no biggy. I had a few formatting issues like this. 

In particular, my wife, who proofread my entire PhD the day before my submission, added a subclause to my last sentence by way of encouragement. Unfortunately I was so tired by the point l got up to my conclusion at 5.30 in the morning on the day of my submission I missed her little addition.

Anyway my examiners had a great laugh at my viva that with the last 3 words of my thesis I had told them I loved them. They told me to fix my formatting errors and also consider deleting my final sentence but not to spend more than an hour on any corrections. It was my mistakes that broke the ice and set me up for a great viva.

They are more interested in your argument than how pleasing it looks on the page.

Good luck.

You can interview me if I'm suitable. Did my PhD in philosophy and finished in 2010. It was a purely theoretical thesis in the general area of Continental philosophy. I have also since taught the 'Research and Methods' core course to students doing their MA in political theory.

Ditto the above. The only way I could proofread my own work was out loud.

I worked FT and did my PhD full time and looked after my son who was aged 3-8 during the writing of my thesis. I think that most people just can't fathom just how hard this is. My supervisor, a well to do middle-class woman with childcare and cleaner on tap plus supportive/wealthy relatives etc. was particularly unsupportive as she not only couldn't relate to me personally - working class, poor, heavily tattooed, male tradesman bringing up a small child on the other side of the world from family support - but also could not imagine life without all the advantages, modcons and support networks that her upbringing had provided her with.

Her best advice the few times I raised any issues of stress, poverty, lack of time etc. in my first year was that I pack it all in and come back when my kid was in his teens and I had managed to save a wedge of ££. That is, despite her Marxist credentials she could not imagine theimpossibility of a carpenter bringing up a young child saving up the £30,000 that overseas PhD students require for fees alone. In short I had to do the PhD when I did as I had a fees scholarship and was unlikely to get one again.

The way I dealt with all this, and this is the only advice I can offer you and the reason I have given you the above, is that I became a committed bullshitter. I promised to hand work in on certain dates without any intention of doing so to keep my sups off my back. I took a year off - between my 3rd and 4th year - for 'personal reasons' that didn't exist. In short, I made up for the sheer stressfullness and business of my life by buying a lot of extra time by bullshitting. i don't know if others will pour scorn on me for this but it worked. I had a good viva with no corrections required and I cant find it within myself to feel guilty for all the lies I told my sups and all the emails I didn't return but I think that without this strategy of living on the threshold of being thrown out I would never have been able to submit. Hope this was of some help. Remember that it is your child and our own wellbeing that must come first and don't feel guilty to make yourself a bit of space by bending the rules; also keep in mind that your department doesn't want you to fail either so they will put up with a fair bit.
Good luck
C