Foucault and Political Reason
Subtitle: Liberalism, Neo-Liberalism, and Rationalities of Government
Contributors: Andrew Barry (Editor); Thomas Osborne (Editor); Nikolas Rose (Editor)
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Published: June 1, 1996
Language: eng
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780226038261
First sentence: 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.
Description: 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.