Governmentality and Statification: Towards a Foucauldian Theory of the State

Abstract

This article contributes to governmentality studies and state theory by discussing how to understand the centrality and importance of the state from a governmentality perspective. It uses Giorgio Agamben’s critique of Michel Foucault’s governmentality approach as a point of departure for re-investigating Foucault as a thinker of the state. It focuses on Foucault’s notion of the state as a process of ‘statification’ which emphasizes the state as something constantly produced and reproduced by processes and practices of government, administration and acclamation. As a result of this, the state appears as a given entity which is necessary for the multiplicity of governmental technologies and practices in modern society to function. Only by reference to the state can governmental practices be effective and legitimized. Finally, the article conceptualizes the centrality of the state through Foucault’s (preliminary) notions of the state as a ‘practico-reflexive prism’ and a ‘principle of intelligibility’.

Bridging ‘Home’ Political and Economic Rationalities with ‘Host’ Demands and Constraints: The Case of Regional Chinese State‐owned Multinational Corporations

“…Hacking and Flynn, 2018; Palmer and Winiger, 2019; Sum and Jessop, 2013) and liberal forms of management (e.g. Jessen and von Eggers, 2020; Picard, Durocher and Gendron, 2021; Tuck, 2013). Specifically, we found the following.…”

“…With their distinctive expertise and managerial know‐how, GS, JN and their expatriate managers appear to have successfully aligned themselves and their local (host) conditions to the Chinese government's rationalities and programs. Hence, the state's political vision translates into a form of self‐governance, and thereby bridges the ‘macro’ and the ‘micro’ operations of power within the governmentalization process (Ablo, 2017; Jessen and von Eggers, 2020; Jessop, 2007; Raffnsøe, Mennicken and Miller, 2019).…”

“…In a neo-liberal democratic context, Foucault's (2007) lens of governmentality serves to highlight the voluntary and non-coercive nature of governing from non-political realms, where the role of the state has relocated. This implies a diffusion of the cohesive centrality of power to an enabling form of power that functions in the discursive field (Ablo, 2017;Jessen and von Eggers, 2020;Joseph, 2010;Picard, Durocher and Gendron, 2021;Tuck, 2013). In effect, the disciplinary power of the state has largely been de-emphasized in the mainstream 'Anglo' governmentality literature (Ashworth et al, 2013;Raffnsøe, Mennicken and Miller, 2019;Sum and Jessop, 2013).…”

Praktik Pendisiplinan Tubuh dan Resistensi Masyarakat Pelaku Usaha Wisata Bahari Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19 di Pulau Derawan, Kabupaten Berau Kalimantan Timur

“…Berdasarkan pemaparan di atas dapat disimpulkan bahwa biopolitik menjelaskan mengenai kekuasaan atas kehidupan di mana pendisiplinan tubuh individu dikontrol oleh regulasi populasi (Jessen & Eggers, 2020). Keterkaitan teori biopolitik terhadap penelitian ini adalah dimana tindakan individu diatur sedemikian rupa oleh regulasi yang dibuat Pemerintah Indonesia selama pandemi Covid-19 berlangsung.…”

The administrative state in food policymaking: a fait accompli

“…Many scholars have discussed the role of the state in society for decades (e.g. Bevir, 2012; Barrow, 2005; Dabrowski, 2021; Dahl, 1958; Das, 2006; Domhoff, 1990; Jessen and Eggers, 2019; Jessop, 2010; McBride and Shields, 1997; Miliband, 1983; Peters and Pierre, 1998; Rhodes, 1996; Sobczynski, 2019). As societies experience complex transboundary issues such as global pandemics, refugee migrations and climate change, as well as complex national issues such as food security and obesity, discussions around the role of the administrative state [1] make their way into policy debates.…”