Naam: Raffael Streffer Datum: 15/05
Nummer: s0213172
Leesverslag & aantekeningen: Hedendaagse Sociologische Theorie
Bibliografische informatie
Auteur: Thomas Lemke Jaar: 2011
Titel: Biopolitics. An Advanced Introduction
Gepubliceerd in / door: New York University Press
Abstract met citaat
Schrijf zelf een beknopte samenvatting waarin je de belangrijkste ideeën & kernbegrippen van de tekst
weergeeft (in circa 350-400 woorden). Wees selectief, maar zorg dat de je de belangrijkste elementen
vermeldt: de rode draad of centrale boodschap van de tekst moet duidelijk worden uit je abstract.
Verwerk in je eigen samenvatting twee kerncitaten die de centrale boodschap in de tekst vatten. Zorg voor
voldoende toelichting zodat duidelijk is waarom je deze als kerncitaten beschouwt. Let op, de citaten behoren
ook tot de woordenlimiet van het abstract.
Verwijs naar de paginanummers van de tekst waar je je info en de citaten gehaald hebt.
In the 1970s Michel Foucault introduced biopolitics, marking a major shift in the understanding of
power and politics. He was more interested in how modern governments began to administer living
beings (our bodies, health, reproduction, and even entire populations) rather than political laws or
who holds an authoritative position in the state. This shift marked the movement of politics from the
former model of kings who could take life (‘make die and let live’) to a new model that aims to
promote life and health (‘make live and let die’).
“It is no longer a matter of bringing death into play in the field of sov-
ereignty, but of distributing the living in the domain of value and util-
ity…” (p. 39)
Foucault identified two main types of power. The first is disciplinary power which trains and
regulates individual bodies in institutions such as schools, hospitals, and prisons. The second is
regulatory power which governs entire populations by controlling birth rates, life expectancy, and
public health. These two types of power act together to regulate how we live.
A critical component of this system is the reliance on norms (what is defined as “normal”) in place of
laws. People are not simply punished under modern forms of power; rather, there is an active effort
to get people to conform to such norms, frequently using information, hierarchies, and regulations to
structure behavior. This transformation influences everything from parenting to managing public
health threats.
Foucault also revealed how deeply rooted racism is within biopolitics. In modern societies, racism
helps justify the killing of certain subpopulations. It creates artificial boundaries within societies by
branding certain individuals as a threat to the public. Such reasoning was pivotal in wars of violence
and mass killings in places such as Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, where both claimed to protect
Nummer: s0213172
Leesverslag & aantekeningen: Hedendaagse Sociologische Theorie
Bibliografische informatie
Auteur: Thomas Lemke Jaar: 2011
Titel: Biopolitics. An Advanced Introduction
Gepubliceerd in / door: New York University Press
Abstract met citaat
Schrijf zelf een beknopte samenvatting waarin je de belangrijkste ideeën & kernbegrippen van de tekst
weergeeft (in circa 350-400 woorden). Wees selectief, maar zorg dat de je de belangrijkste elementen
vermeldt: de rode draad of centrale boodschap van de tekst moet duidelijk worden uit je abstract.
Verwerk in je eigen samenvatting twee kerncitaten die de centrale boodschap in de tekst vatten. Zorg voor
voldoende toelichting zodat duidelijk is waarom je deze als kerncitaten beschouwt. Let op, de citaten behoren
ook tot de woordenlimiet van het abstract.
Verwijs naar de paginanummers van de tekst waar je je info en de citaten gehaald hebt.
In the 1970s Michel Foucault introduced biopolitics, marking a major shift in the understanding of
power and politics. He was more interested in how modern governments began to administer living
beings (our bodies, health, reproduction, and even entire populations) rather than political laws or
who holds an authoritative position in the state. This shift marked the movement of politics from the
former model of kings who could take life (‘make die and let live’) to a new model that aims to
promote life and health (‘make live and let die’).
“It is no longer a matter of bringing death into play in the field of sov-
ereignty, but of distributing the living in the domain of value and util-
ity…” (p. 39)
Foucault identified two main types of power. The first is disciplinary power which trains and
regulates individual bodies in institutions such as schools, hospitals, and prisons. The second is
regulatory power which governs entire populations by controlling birth rates, life expectancy, and
public health. These two types of power act together to regulate how we live.
A critical component of this system is the reliance on norms (what is defined as “normal”) in place of
laws. People are not simply punished under modern forms of power; rather, there is an active effort
to get people to conform to such norms, frequently using information, hierarchies, and regulations to
structure behavior. This transformation influences everything from parenting to managing public
health threats.
Foucault also revealed how deeply rooted racism is within biopolitics. In modern societies, racism
helps justify the killing of certain subpopulations. It creates artificial boundaries within societies by
branding certain individuals as a threat to the public. Such reasoning was pivotal in wars of violence
and mass killings in places such as Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, where both claimed to protect
