Foucault refers to biopower at the end of The History of Sexuality, Vol I,
as an historically specific mode of power relations, one which introduces
disciplinary and normalizing practices which seek to promote the life and
efficiency of the society. It is a modern conception which replaces an
earlier conception of sovereignty where the sovereign/monarch had a kind of
negative power over his subjects, and the limit of sovereign power came in
executing a subject, in destroying his body (while, for example, the soul
could not be touched by worldly punishments, only by God). With the decline
of this formation, sovereignty is more and more seen as invested in the
people, so that the goal of power comes to be the improvement of the people
and society, so that the 19th and 20th centuries sees a greater stress
placed on the health and efficiency of the people, a greater push to locate
deviants and to discipline/normalize them and so forth. It is here that
strong links are established between desire and truth, links which are
necessary for discliplinary/normalizing practices to be instituted. It is
also an age where we see the rise of total war, the idea being that society
must be mobilized as a whole for the purpose of its survival. It is no
surprise, Foucault says, that we live in modern societies where capital
punishment is condemned while we risk total annihilation through nuclear
destruction. The former is a reflection of an old form of sovereignty now
rejected; the latter is a product of the mass mobilization that biopower
encourages.
Hope this helps.
Nathan
n.e.widder@xxxxxxxxx
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NHearttoheart@xxxxxxx [SMTP:NHearttoheart@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 17 January 2000 09:14
> To: deleuze-guattari@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: (no subject)
>
> please explain to me what Foucault meant by bio-power?
as an historically specific mode of power relations, one which introduces
disciplinary and normalizing practices which seek to promote the life and
efficiency of the society. It is a modern conception which replaces an
earlier conception of sovereignty where the sovereign/monarch had a kind of
negative power over his subjects, and the limit of sovereign power came in
executing a subject, in destroying his body (while, for example, the soul
could not be touched by worldly punishments, only by God). With the decline
of this formation, sovereignty is more and more seen as invested in the
people, so that the goal of power comes to be the improvement of the people
and society, so that the 19th and 20th centuries sees a greater stress
placed on the health and efficiency of the people, a greater push to locate
deviants and to discipline/normalize them and so forth. It is here that
strong links are established between desire and truth, links which are
necessary for discliplinary/normalizing practices to be instituted. It is
also an age where we see the rise of total war, the idea being that society
must be mobilized as a whole for the purpose of its survival. It is no
surprise, Foucault says, that we live in modern societies where capital
punishment is condemned while we risk total annihilation through nuclear
destruction. The former is a reflection of an old form of sovereignty now
rejected; the latter is a product of the mass mobilization that biopower
encourages.
Hope this helps.
Nathan
n.e.widder@xxxxxxxxx
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NHearttoheart@xxxxxxx [SMTP:NHearttoheart@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 17 January 2000 09:14
> To: deleuze-guattari@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: (no subject)
>
> please explain to me what Foucault meant by bio-power?