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Governmentality and what next?: Governmentality beyond the Master’s function: Neoliberal rationalisation of power and the crisis of symbolic authority

Journal Title: Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica - Year 2018, Vol 19, Issue 3

Abstract

The aim of the article is to read Foucault’s notion of governmentality in the light of some motives of psychoanalytic theory. Governmentality is understood here as a specific type of rationality of power, which tries to economize life and to secure the well-being of the population by way of manipulating the conditions and technical means. This type of power is contrasted with Master’s function, understood as a way of functioning of traditional power, which includes providing the decisions with symbolic sanctions and relating to subjects as centres of symbolic commitments and responsibility. The logic of governmentality relates itself to norms of efficiency and profitability and presents decisions of power in the guise of an expertise that aims for optimizing the social process. The article presents several examples of applications of governmentality logic meant to show the hidden presuppositions of this mode of exercising power; mode, which seeks to evade the Master’s function and symbolic authority. The last paragraph of the article shows some consequences of dissemination of governmentality logic: crisis of symbolic authority and confusion of subjects, confronted with power presenting itself as pure rationality.<br/><br/>

Authors and Affiliations

Krzysztof Świrek

Keywords

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  • EP ID EP408452
  • DOI -
  • Views 58
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How To Cite

Krzysztof Świrek (2018). Governmentality and what next?: Governmentality beyond the Master’s function: Neoliberal rationalisation of power and the crisis of symbolic authority. Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica, 19(3), 124-141. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-408452

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