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WiSe 20/21: A new era of biopolitics? Logics of government in times of a global pandemic

Sebastian Büttner

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Shortly after the beginning of the so-called ‘Corona-crisis’ commentators have noticed a renaissance of ‘the state’ and of national state government. Almost overnight, we have witnessed, in fact, an unprecedented enforcement of public control and a far-reaching regulation of numerous everyday routines and practices. During the phases of lock-down public life suddenly came to a standstill in many countries around the globe. Close social contacts, excessive social interaction both in public and in private life suddenly became suspicious or at least a matter of ‘public safety’. Everyday social interactions and mundane practices are more than ever affected by rules of hygiene, by the advice of medical experts, and by strict public health regulations. In short, the situation strongly reminds of what Michel Foucault has once described as a ‘rise of biopolitics’ in modern practices of (state) government. However, as Foucault and many other sociologists emphasize: the government of society is by far much more than just the rule of law or the rule of state governments or certain state authorities. Government and practices of governing are always embedded in complex networks of knowledge-power relations involving a huge variety of techniques, practices, concepts, actors, and organizations. In this seminar, we will read and discuss classical sociological texts on government, not least texts of Foucault and his predecessors, but also more recent approaches and considerations. Against this backdrop, we will try to understand current practices and problems of government in times of a global pandemic. The aim is to introduce and discuss fundamental sociological consideration on government and exploring how we can use these concepts and considerations for an understanding of current social developments. Hence, the seminar requires a strong interest in the subject and a strong motivation for reading and discussing classical theoretical texts. close