Foucault and political reason : liberalism, neo-liberalism, and rationalities of government

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. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 Acknowledgements......Page 6 List of Contributors......Page 8 Introduction. Andrew Barry, Thomas Osborne, Nikolas Rose......Page 10 1. Liberal government and techniques of the self. Graham Burchell......Page 28 2. Governing "advanced" liberal democracies. Nikolas Rose......Page 46 3. Liberalism, socialism and democracy: variations on a governmental theme. Barry Hindess......Page 74 4. The promise of liberalism and the performance of freedom. Vikki Bell......Page 90 5. Security and vitality: drains, liberalism and power in the nineteenth century. Thomas Osborne......Page 108 6. Lines of communication and spaces of rule. Andrew Barry......Page 132 7. Assembling the school. Ian Hunter......Page 152 8. Governing the city: liberalism and early modern modes of governance. Alan Hunt......Page 176 9. Risk and responsibility. Pat O'Malley......Page 198 10. Foucault, government and the enfolding of authority. Mitchell Dean......Page 218 11. Revolutions within: self-government and self-esteem. Barbara Cruikshank......Page 240 12. Foucault in Britain. Colin Gordon......Page 262 Index......Page 280 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. Despite the enormous influence of Michel Foucault on 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, the insurance industry, and the self-esteem movement in California. The essays in this book propose some new ways of anatomizing political reason, ways that may operate upon and through history, but which do so in order to gain a purchase upon our present and its politics. Edited By Andrew Barry, Thomas Osborne, Nikolas Rose. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.