what is biopolitics? (foucault / agamben)

the culture and philosophy research workshop

 

introduction

 

This workshop takes place on Thursday morning 27/1/2011 from 09:30-13:00. It will be facilitated by Tim Stott and Dr. Mick Wilson. The programme is as follows:
09:30 Welcome and introductions
09:35 Introducing models of 'power' in Foucault. Tim Stott
10:15 Open discussion on Foucault's text from The History of Sexuality Vol. 1
11:15 BREAK ` 11:30 Introducing the reception of Foucault in Agamben and Rabinow. Mick Wilson
12:00 Open discussion on Agamben's text from Bare Life
13:00 Close

 

recommended readings

 

Agamben, Giorgio (1998) (orig. 1995) 'Introduction' and III, §2 ‘Biopolitics and the Rights of Man’ in Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life, Stanford University Press. (extracts)
Foucault, Michel (1998/1976) 'Right of Death and Power over Life' in The History of Sexuality Vol.1: The Will to Knowledge. London: Penguin. (extracts)
Foucault, Michel (2000) ‘The Birth of Biopolitics’ (1978), in Michel Foucault: Essential Works 1954-1984, volume I: ethics. Rabinow, Paul (1996) "Artificiality and Enlightenment: From Sociobiology to Biosociality" Essays on the Anthropology of Reason.

 

 

What is biopolitics? #2 Friday May 20th afternoon

 

with Prof. Gerry Kearns NUI Maynooth and Tim STott (GradCAM)

 

We are delighted to announce that a second session has been developed on the topic of "biopolitics" and we are especially delighted to have Prof. Gerry Kearns join us for this event.

This workshop takes place on Friday afternoon 20/5/2011 from 14:00-17:00. It will be facilitated by Tim Stott and Prof. Gerry Kearns

The programme is as follows:
14:00 Welcome and introductions
14:05 Reading Foucault on Biopower with Tim Stott
15:15 BREAK
15:30 Bare life, political violence and the territorial structure of Britain and Ireland
17:00 Close

 

Readings

 

PART 1: Introduction: Reading Foucault on Biopower with Tim Stott

[1] Biopower and racism Lecture of 17th March 1976, from Foucault, Society Must be Defended: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975-1976
This rerading covers the development from sovereignty to biopower; the latter’s fields of application—death, sexuality, housing; biopower and racism/racist State. Of particular interest is the connection of biopower to (State) racism: the latter has two functions: (a) "to introduce a break into the domain of life that is under power’s control: the break between what must live and what must die. ... to fragment, to create caesurae within the biological continuum addressed by biopower"; and (b) to reformulate the relationship of war—‘If you want to live, the other must die’—as a biological relationship: the death of the biologically inferior, the dying-out of degeneracy within the species as a whole guarantee the health and proliferation of those who remain. (pp.254-255)

 

PART 2: "Bare life, political violence and the territorial structure of Britain and Ireland" with Prof. Gerry Kearns

 

[2]Kearns, Gerry (2006) "Bare life, political violence and the territorial structure of Britain and Ireland", Chapter 2 in Derek Gregory and Allan Pred (eds), Violent geographies: fear, terror and political violence New York: Routledge. 9-34.

 

[3]Agamben, Giorgio (1998) (orig. 1995) 'Introduction' and xxxx in Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life, Stanford University Press. (extracts)

 

booking

 

Access is free, however booking is recommended: contact mick.wilson(at)gradcam.ie to book your place and if you require assistance in accessing the readings

 

coming soon

 

For more on the workshop series see the culture and philosophy research workshop.