The Birth of Biopolitics

Picador is proud to publish the sixth volume in Foucault's prestigious, groundbreaking series of lectures at the College de France from 1970 to 1984 "The Birth of Biopolitics "continues to pursue the themes of Foucault's lectures from "Security, Territory, Population": having shown how eighteenth century political economy marks the birth of a new governmental rationality--seeki...

Picador is proud to publish the sixth volume in Foucault's prestigious, groundbreaking series of lectures at the College de France from 1970 to 1984 "The Birth of Biopolitics "continues to pursue the themes of Foucault's lectures from "Security, Territory, Population": having shown how eighteenth century political economy marks the birth of a new governmental rationality--seeking maximum effectiveness by governing less and in accordance with the naturalness of the phenomena to be governed--Michel Foucault undertakes a detailed analysis of the forms of this liberal governmentality. This book raises questions of political philosophy and social policy that are at the heart of current debates about the role and status of neo-liberalism in twentieth century politics.

米歇尔·福柯，1926年10月15日出生在法国的普瓦利埃。1946—1949年，就读于巴黎高师和索邦大学，先后获得哲学和心理学文凭。1951年，通过哲学教师资格考试。1961年获国家博士学位。1970年被遴选为法兰西学院院士。1984年6月25日因感染上艾滋病去世。福柯一生著作甚丰，闻名于世的有《癫狂与文明：古典时代的癫狂史》（1961年）、《诊所的诞生》（1963年）、《词与物》（1966年）、《知识考古学》（1969年）、《规训与惩罚》（1975年）和《性经验史》三卷（1976，1984，1984年）。

米歇尔·福柯是后结构主义主要代表人物。他不仅“谈玄论理”，而且还直接批评自启蒙运动以来的“现代性文化”。