Foucault, Governmentality, and Critique

The French philosopher Michel Foucault is by now the most cited author in the social sciences and humanities. This book discusses one of his central notions that attracted enormous interest inside and outside academia: governmentality. It reconstructs its emergence in Foucault’s analytics of power and shows its trajectory in his work. The book explores the theoretical strengths and critical perspectives the concept of governmentality offers in light of contemporary societal and political challenges, including those posed by genetic and reproductive technologies. It also illuminates some misinterpretations and ambivalent achievements to which it gave rise in governmentality studies. The book could be read as a short introduction to Foucault’s work on power and governmentality but it also suits the interests of experts and scholars. It presents a clear account of the governmentality perspective that demonstrates its relevance for political analysis and critique and highlights the intimate link between neoliberal rationalities and the problem of biopolitics.