The Historical-PoliticalJourney of Nominalism from William of Ockham to Foucault

Nominalism is one of the fundamental ontological-epistemological trajectories that crystallized within Medieval philosophy and played a decisive role in the constitution of modern thought. Rooted in the Ancient Greek debate on universals, this concept attained a systematic structure during the Middle Ages, becoming a horizon that defines the boundaries of modern philosophical practices. Various philosophical and political traditions have problematized established philosophical orthodoxy through the conceptual possibilities offered by nominalism. This study examines the reception of nominalism by different thinkers within the framework of critical theories, specifically focusing on Michel Foucault's historical nominalism. Furthermore, the article analyzes how nominalism, as one of the most potent theoretical foundations of anti-essentialist thought, nourishes the ontological ground of contemporary social movements and how the legacy of William of Ockham is reproduced within an oppositional habitus.