The Appearance of an Interminable Natural History and its Ends Foucault’s Lectures on The Birth of Biopolitics at the Collège de France 1979 (original) (raw)
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This paper focuses on Foucault's analysis of two forms of neo-liberalism in his lecture of 1979 at the Collège de France: German post-War liberalism and the liberalism of the Chicago School. Since the course is available only on audio-tapes at the Foucault archive in Paris, the larger part of the text presents a comprehensive reconstruction of the main line of argumentation, citing previously unpublished source material. The nal section offers a short discussion of the methodological and theoretical principles underlying the concept of governmentality and the critical political angle it provides for an analysis of contemporary neo-liberalism.
Biopower, Governmentality, Liberalism and the Genealogy of the Modern Subject
Foucault Studies Lectures, 2020
We are very pleased to guest edit and publish this special edition of Foucault Studies entitled Michel Foucault’s Lectures at the Collège de France 1978-1980. Security, Territory, Population; The Birth of Biopolitics; On the Government of the Living. As pronounced in the editorial, this special edition contains three articles, each devoted to discussing one yearly series of Foucault’s lectures at the Collège de France in the period ranging from 1977 to 1980.
Resumen: En «Nacimiento de la biopolítica», curso impartido en el Collège de France en 1978-1979, Michel Foucault analiza las transiciones que se producen entre los diversos modelos históricos de gubernamentalidad desde el siglo XVIII (razón de Estado, liberalismo clásico, neoliberalismo contemporáneo). El presente artículo estudia las modificaciones que estas lecciones representan para la noción de «biopolítica», que se vincula a elementos centrales de la racionalidad neoliberal de gobierno (forma empresa, teoría del capital humano, Estado mínimo, razón de mercado) y a nuevas posibilidades de acción política. Abstract: In «The Birth of Biopolitics», his course at the Collège de France in 1978-1979, Michel Foucault analyzes the transitions between the various historical models of governmentality since the 18 th century (reason of State, classical liberalism, contemporary neoliberalism). This paper considers the consequences of Foucault's lectures for the notion of «biopolitics», in its connection with central elements of neoliberal rationality of government (entrepreneurial form, human capital theory, minimum State, reason of market) and as the ground for new forms of political action.
Michel Foucault’s The Birth of Biopolitics and Contemporary Neo-Liberalism Debates
Neo-liberalism has become one of the boom concepts of our time. From its original reference point as a descriptor of the economics of the “Chicago School” or authors such as Friedrich von Hayek, neo-liberalism has become an all-purpose descriptor, explanatory device and basis for social critique. This presentation evaluates Michel Foucault’s 1978-79 lectures, published as The Birth of Biopolitics, to consider how he used the term neo-liberalism, and how this equates with its current uses in critical social and cultural theory. It will be argued that Foucault did not understand neo-liberalism as a dominant ideology in these lectures, but rather as marking a point of inflection in the historical evolution of liberal political philosophies of government. It will also be argued that his interpretation of neo-liberalism was more nuanced and more comparative than more recent contributions, and points towards an attempt to theorise comparative historical models of liberal capitalism.
Biopolitics and Biopower: The Foucauldian Approach and Its Contemporary Relevance
Bioethics and Biopolitics. Theories, Applications and Connections (Ed. Peter Kakuk). Springer, 2017
The notions of " biopolitics " and " biopower " enjoy commonsensical plausibility in many fields of humanities today. From philosophy and sociology through cultural and gender studies up to various forms of contemporary political thinking, these notions are used and reused in many descriptive and normative approaches. However, even if it is often highlighted that the work of the French historian and social theorist, Michel Foucault served as a cornerstone in attaching the prefix 'bio' to the words 'politics' and 'power', the question as to for what reasons these terms, designed originally for historical research in Foucault, could reach such an interdisciplinary popularity remains to be worth studying. With this context in mind, this paper has two objectives. On the one hand, it seeks to reconstruct the meanings and roles of the notions of biopolitics and biopower as they are displayed in Foucault's historical and theoretical researches. On the other hand, it aims to foreground the theoretical significance as well as the descriptive and normative values that could be associated today to these notions in various fields of humanities within the contemporary conjuncture of biopolitical thinking.