Biopolítica e Necropolítica | Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben e Achille Mbembe

Summary

In this video, the instructor delves into three crucial contemporary philosophical concepts: Michel Foucault's 'biopolitics,' Giorgio Agamben's 'state of exception,' and Achille Mbembe's 'necropolitics.' The discussion explores how power operates through the regulation of life and death, particularly in modern political systems. Foucault’s concept of biopolitics emphasizes the state's role in managing life, while Agamben's state of exception addresses the suspension of rights in times of crisis. Mbembe introduces necropolitics, highlighting how certain bodies are deemed expendable, often shaped by racial and colonial histories. This philosophical exploration critiques modern governance and its implications for marginalized populations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Biopolitics, as defined by Michel Foucault, is the modern state's regulation of life, focusing on managing health, birth rates, mortality, and other biological factors.
• 😀 Foucault's concept of power shifts from a sovereign's ability to make people die to a government's ability to make people live by implementing public health policies and controlling life expectancy.
• 😀 The state of exception, according to George Agamben, refers to situations where constitutional rights are suspended due to perceived threats, giving the state exceptional powers over its citizens.
• 😀 In modern democracies, the state of exception has become normalized, meaning the government often operates outside the law, justified by national security concerns or crises.
• 😀 Necropolitics, a term coined by Achille Mbembe, focuses on the politics of death, particularly on how certain bodies, often racialized, are considered disposable and subject to death.
• 😀 Mbembe's necropolitics extends Foucault's biopolitics by emphasizing that the state's power is exercised through decisions about who lives and who dies, often affecting marginalized populations.
• 😀 The historical roots of biopolitics and necropolitics can be traced back to practices like slavery and colonization, where racialized bodies were controlled and deemed expendable.
• 😀 Agamben warns that the state of exception, when allowed, can become a permanent feature of governance, undermining individual rights and fostering authoritarian practices.
• 😀 The concept of race plays a crucial role in necropolitics, with certain groups, particularly Black people, being targeted for death under the guise of public safety or health.
• 😀 Both Foucault and Mbembe explore the relationship between life and death in governance, urging a critical examination of how power structures determine who is allowed to live and who is marginalized or eliminated.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The video script focuses on explaining two contemporary philosophical concepts: biopolitics, as proposed by Michel Foucault, and necropolitics, introduced by Achille Mbembe. It aims to explore how these concepts relate to political power, life, and death.

How does Foucault define the relationship between political power and life and death?

Foucault suggests that the sovereign power historically had the right to decide who would live and who would die. Over time, this dynamic shifted, and the modern sovereign power is now focused on making live (through policies that promote life) and letting die (through passive neglect or exclusion).

What is the concept of biopolitics according to Foucault?

Biopolitics refers to the governance of life itself. Foucault argues that with the rise of industrial capitalism, the state became concerned with managing the health, reproduction, and vitality of its population, shifting power from death to the regulation of life.

How does capitalism play a role in biopolitics?

Foucault explains that with the advent of industrial capitalism, the body became an object for capital to exploit. This led to the rise of social medicine and public health policies as a way to ensure the population remained healthy and productive, contributing to the state's control over life.

What role does racism play in the mechanisms of biopolitics?

Racism is an integral part of biopolitics, as certain populations are deemed expendable for the sake of the health and vitality of others. This is evident in practices such as forced sterilizations and genocidal policies that eliminate 'undesirable' populations for the perceived benefit of the 'healthy' majority.

What is the 'state of exception' according to Giorgio Agamben?

The 'state of exception' refers to a situation where normal constitutional rights are suspended due to an emergency or threat. Agamben argues that, in modern democracies, these emergency measures have become normalized and are often used to justify the suspension of rights for certain populations, making them vulnerable to state control.

How does Agamben's concept of the state of exception relate to modern governance?

Agamben critiques the normalization of the state of exception in modern democracies, where extraordinary measures, initially meant to be temporary, become regular tools of governance. These measures often strip individuals of their rights, rendering them powerless and vulnerable to state authority.

What is necropolitics and how does Achille Mbembe contribute to this concept?

Necropolitics, as defined by Mbembe, is the politics of death, where certain populations are deemed expendable and their deaths are considered acceptable or even beneficial for the larger society. Mbembe critiques Foucault's focus on the governance of life and instead emphasizes the need to examine how death and the politics surrounding it shape power dynamics, particularly in racialized contexts.

How does necropolitics relate to racism and colonialism?

Necropolitics is closely linked to racism, especially in how certain bodies, particularly Black bodies, are treated as expendable. Mbembe connects this to historical practices like slavery and colonization, where non-white populations were dehumanized, and their lives were treated as less valuable, allowing for their systematic elimination for the benefit of others.

How does Mbembe challenge Foucault's view on biopolitics?

Mbembe challenges Foucault's emphasis on biopolitics by pointing out that the governance of life, while important, must also be understood in terms of the governance of death. He argues that the control and elimination of certain lives have been a critical part of modern political structures, particularly in relation to race and colonial history.