In this course, we will critically interrogate some of the practical socio-political effects of social theory. We will use Michel Foucault’s analytic of governmentality to analyze how social theoretical concepts, such as globalization, networks, risk, reflexivity and social capital, are harnessed to programs of regional and global governance. Firstly, we will unpack Foucault’s ideas about governmentality. Secondly, we will discuss the work of renowned late modern social theorists, notably Ulrich Beck, Zygmunt Bauman, Manuel Castells, Anthony Giddens, Robert Putnam and James Coleman. Last but not least, we will analyze a number of recent policy documents drawn from both regional and global organizations, such as the EU and the World Bank, in order to pinpoint and critique the political utility and consequences of the concepts developed by these theorists. close