Foucault's The History of Sexuality “was initially projected as a relatively straightforward extension of the genealogical approach of Discipline and Punishment to the topic of sexuality. Foucault's idea is that the various modern fields of knowledge about sexuality have an intimate association with the power structures of modern society, and so are prime candidates for genealogical analysis. The first volume of this project, The History of Sexuality, Vol. I: The Will to Knowledge, published in 1976, was intended to outline the project's overall history, explaining the fundamental viewpoint and the methods to be used. In Foucault's account, modern control of sexuality parallels modern control of criminality by making sex (like crime) an object of allegedly scientific disciplines, which simultaneously offer knowledge and domination of their objects. Foucault shows how sexuality becomes an essential construct in determining not only moral worth but also health, desire, and identity.”