Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 15:14:32 +1000 From: Catherine Mills <catmills-AT-coombs.anu.edu.au> Subject: biopower: Agamben/Foucault. Hi, I have recently been doing some work on biopower, particularly using Giorgio Agamben's book called 'Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life'. In the introduction to this book, Agamben claims that Foucault overemphasises the historical distinction between sovereignty and biopolitics and goes on to argue that 'the inclusion of bare life [Aristotle's zoe] constitutes the original - if concealed - nucleus of sovereign power...the production of the biopolitical body is the original activity of sovereign power' (p6). I would be interested to know what other people who have read this book think of Agamben's critique of Foucault and of his own arguments regarding biopower, especially around the generalisation of the exception in modern politics. Thanks, Catherine
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