Thoughts on the Concept of Biopower Today Export

@article{RefWorks:49, abstract = {In this talk we undertake some conceptual clarification of the concepts of biopower and biopolitics, and argue for their utility in contemporary analysis. We consider Foucault╟'\^{a}\_Ts development of these concepts, and differentiate his view, which is close to ours, from the recent philosophical take-up of the terms by Georgio Agamben and Antonio Negri. Biopower, we suggest, entails one or more truth discourses about the ╟'\^{a}\_\~{}vital╟'\^{a}\_T character of living human beings; an array of authorities considered competent to speak that truth; strategies for intervention upon collective existence in the name of life and health; and modes of subjectification, in which individuals work on themselves in the name of individual or collective life or health. We argue that while exceptional ╟'\^{a}\_\~{}paroxysmal╟'\^{a}\_T forms of biopower, linked to the formation of absolutist dictatorship and mobilization of technical resources, can lead and have led to a murderous thanatopolitics, biopower in contemporary states takes a different form. It characteristically entails a relation between ╟'\^{a}\_\~{}letting die╟'\^{a}\_T (laissez mourir) and making live (faire vivre) ╟'\^{a}\_" that is to say strategies for the governing of life. Using examples from our own current research, we consider recent developments in biopower around three themes: race, population and reproduction and genomic medicine}, author = {Rabinow, P. and Rose, N.}, citeulike-article-id = {2137156}, comment = {ID: 816; Thoughts on the Concept of Biopower Today citeulike:80546; RP: NOT IN FILE}, journal = {Biosocieties}, keywords = {analysis, biopower, development, foucault, health, human, life, lt, medicine, research, state, states}, posted-at = {2007-12-17 15:25:49}, priority = {2}, title = {Thoughts on the Concept of Biopower Today}, year = {2006} }

TY - JOUR ID - RefWorks:49 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2137156 N2 - In this talk we undertake some conceptual clarification of the concepts of biopower and biopolitics, and argue for their utility in contemporary analysis. We consider Foucault╟'â_Ts development of these concepts, and differentiate his view, which is close to ours, from the recent philosophical take-up of the terms by Georgio Agamben and Antonio Negri. Biopower, we suggest, entails one or more truth discourses about the ╟'â_~vital╟'â_T character of living human beings; an array of authorities considered competent to speak that truth; strategies for intervention upon collective existence in the name of life and health; and modes of subjectification, in which individuals work on themselves in the name of individual or collective life or health. We argue that while exceptional ╟'â_~paroxysmal╟'â_T forms of biopower, linked to the formation of absolutist dictatorship and mobilization of technical resources, can lead and have led to a murderous thanatopolitics, biopower in contemporary states takes a different form. It characteristically entails a relation between ╟'â_~letting die╟'â_T (laissez mourir) and making live (faire vivre) ╟'â_" that is to say strategies for the governing of life. Using examples from our own current research, we consider recent developments in biopower around three themes: race, population and reproduction and genomic medicine JF - Biosocieties TI - Thoughts on the Concept of Biopower Today KW - analysis KW - biopower KW - development KW - foucault KW - health KW - human KW - life KW - lt KW - medicine KW - research KW - state KW - states N1 - ID: 816; Thoughts on the Concept of Biopower Today citeulike:80546; RP: NOT IN FILE AU - Rabinow, P AU - Rose, N PY - 2006/// ER -