Foucault and Political Reason: Liberalism, Neo-Liberalism, and Rationalities of GovernmentAndrew Barry, Thomas Osborne, Nikolas Rose Despite the enormous influence of Michel Foucault in gender studies, social theory, and cultural studies, his work has been relatively neglected in the study of politics. Although he never published a book on the state, in the late 1970s Foucault examined the technologies of power used to regulate society and the ingenious recasting of power and agency that he saw as both consequence and condition of their operation. These twelve essays provide a critical introduction to Foucault's work on politics, exploring its relevance to past and current thinking about liberal and neo-liberal forms of government. Moving away from the great texts of liberal political philosophy, this book looks closely at the technical means with which the ideals of liberal political rationalities have been put into practice in such areas as schools, welfare, and the insurance industry. This fresh approach to one of the seminal thinkers of the twentieth century is essential reading for anyone interested in social and cultural theory, sociology, and politics. |
Contents
Liberal government and techniques of the self | 19 |
Governing advanced liberal democracies | 37 |
Liberalism socialism and democracy variations on a governmental theme | 65 |
The promise of liberalism and the performance of freedom | 81 |
Security and vitality drains liberalism and power in the nineteenth century | 99 |
Lines of communication and spaces of rule | 123 |
Assembling the school | 143 |
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action activity actuarial analysis Arendt argued authority autonomy become British Burchell Cambridge capacity citizens civil society Colin Gordon conception concern conduct crime critical critical pedagogy culture democracy democratic disciplinary discipline Discipline and punish discourse domain Donzelot early modern economic effect electric telegraph emergence ethical exercise existence experience expertise fever Foucault Frankfurt school freedom genealogy Goldsmiths College Gordon governmental Hannah Arendt Hemel Hempstead human individual intellectual intervention kind liberal liberty London Max Weber ment Michel Foucault moral natural neo-liberalism networks Nikolas Rose norms object particular philosophy police political rationality population possible practices present principle problematic problems programmes public health question regimes regulation relation responsibility risk risk society Routledge rule sanitary school system self-esteem sense social sociology space specific strategies sumptuary law techniques technologies telegraph theory thought tion Tocqueville University Press urban welfare