Governing the Soul: The Shaping of the Private Self.

Un-learning to labour? Activating the unemployed in a former industrial community

“…With freedom becoming something of an 'obligation' in the active society (cf. Rose 1999), as reflected in labour market policies promising individuals the 'enticing possibility of remaking oneself ' (Walkerdine 2005: 59f ), the present thesis points to the fact that working-class subjectivities may be less susceptible to hailing such possibilities. One of the main arguments posed in the present thesis is that notions of belonging and community may counteract policies seeking to foster mobile and entrepreneurial individuals.…”

“…Here, three overarching inspirations are presented: the governmentality-inspired literature (e.g. Rose 1999;Dean 1995), literature on working-class ethos (e.g. Lamont 2000;Willis 1993Willis [1977), and French pragmatism in the form of Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot (2006).…”

“…A more historical overview of Swedish activation policy follows, whereafter I turn to the organisation, contents, and effects of municipal activation schemes. I conclude the chapter by discussing research on social and labour market measures as 'governmental techniques' (Rose 1999) aimed at aligning individuals' self-understanding and aspirations to socio-political objectives.…”

“…In order to conceptualise the problematisation and activation of the alleged 'industrial mentality' in Milltown, I have taken inspiration from the governmentality-inspired literature, especially how it has developed in the Anglo-Saxon tradition (Rose 1999;Rose & Miller 1992;Rabinow & Rose 2006;Dean 1995). I understand the outreach and activation of unemployed as a so-called biopolitical rationale that aims to 'control and normalize individuals' by subjecting them to 'possibilities of a better life' (Puumeister 2014: 301).…”

Beyond ‘Productive Aging’: An Argument for ‘Happy Aging’

“…However, while we all might agree that older people should have the opportunity to be 'productive' if they so choose, and that institutions in different societies should indeed become more flexible in taking into account the new realities of vital aging, do aging individuals have to be 'productive' to lead worthwhile lives? The economic philosophy of neoliberalism, of minimal state intervention in the workings of the market, has been applied to the contemporary individual by Nikolas Rose (1999), whereby neoliberalism in its underlying ideology of endless productivity channels the individual into continual resume-building, an ideology more or less internalized by most people. This push to be endlessly productive is more or less true the world over-"Make more of yourself!…”