From within the former Female Insane Asylum on Robben Island

He did not think that insanity could be defined in absolute terms, but rather that it was defined in relativistic terms, depending upon the perceptions of society at a particular time. The term was thus a social construction, defined by society according to a flexible series of criteria. Foucault did not necessarily regard insanity as a negative characteristic because he felt that those defined as mad often possessed insights into the human condition that could be useful and productive.