Foucault and Political Reason: Liberalism, Neo-Liberalism, and Rationalities of Government - Tapa dura

Despite the enormous influence of Michel Foucault in gender studies, social theory, and cultural studies, his work has been relatively neglected in the study of politics. Although he never published a book on the state, in the late 1970s Foucault examined the technologies of power used to regulate society and the ingenious recasting of power and agency that he saw as both consequence and condition of their operation. These 12 essays provide a critical introduction to Foucault's work on politics, exploring its relevance to past and current thinking about liberal and neo-liberal forms of government. Moving away from the great texts of liberal political philosophy, this book looks closely at the technical means with which the ideals of liberal political rationalities have been put into practice in such areas as schools, welfare, and the insurance industry.

Barry is lecturer in sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He has published widely on technology, politics, and social theory.

Thomas Osborne came as a teen in the 1870s from the United States to homestead with his father in Ontario's Muskoka. After five dramatic years he returned to the United States to live and work in Pennsylvania and New York. In 1938 he was killed by an automobile in San Diego, California.

Nikolas Rose is James Martin White Professor of Sociology and Director of the BIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Society at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His books include "The Psychological Complex, Governing the Soul, Inventing Our Selves," and "Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought."