Analytics of the Modern: An Introduction

Foucault in the Landscape: Questioning Governmentality in the Azores

“…The research has shown that the state's conservation efforts in Sete Cidades meet the accepted criteria of a governmental programme, embracing the "reasons", "technics" and "subjects" of government (Inda, 2005). As occurs in governmental programmes generally (Gordon, 1991;Dean, 1999), here scientific knowledge (biology, geography) functions as a technology of government through its mobilization by the state for resource management.…”

“…The conservation efforts by the state in Sete Cidades can be described as a governmental programme. Using the terms of Inda (2005), the "reason" of government is to remedy the perceived lack of sustainability of the resource-uses (including the land and the lakes) for the benefits of landscape/environmental conservation and commodification through tourism. The "technics" of government encompass the expert knowledge, the above-mentioned practices and measures, as well as the concomitant educational and scientific activities that function as pedagogical and disciplinary tools that help to determine the conduct of individuals.…”

Acts of Negotiation: Governmentality and Medium of Instruction in an Eastern Ukrainian University

“…Dean (2010, 35), drawing on the work of Foucault, uses the term sovereignty to describe an institution's basis of authority or right to lawmaking, as well as the "consent and obedience of the governed." As other scholars have pointed out, however, in Foucault's original framework, sovereignty referred to the theological basis for Machavellian princes to rule a state (Goddard 2010;Inda 2005;Simons and Masschelein 2006) as well as sovereign powers' "self-preservation through the force of law" (Inda 2005, 3). From the 16 th to 18 th centuries, this sovereign governance gave way to a more complex "art" of government, a "complex composed of man and things" (Foucault 2000, in Inda 2005.…”

“…As other scholars have pointed out, however, in Foucault's original framework, sovereignty referred to the theological basis for Machavellian princes to rule a state (Goddard 2010;Inda 2005;Simons and Masschelein 2006) as well as sovereign powers' "self-preservation through the force of law" (Inda 2005, 3). From the 16 th to 18 th centuries, this sovereign governance gave way to a more complex "art" of government, a "complex composed of man and things" (Foucault 2000, in Inda 2005. On this basis, Goddard (2010) as well as Simons and Masschelein (2006) argue that the concept of sovereignty is not applicable to studies of present-day government.…”

“…Foucault (2006, 132) defined governmentality as a way to understand problems such as "how to be ruled, how strictly, by whom, to what end, [and] by what methods." Recent scholars applying governmentality theory in anthropology and education research have focused on the formation of subjects (i.e., people) through state and institutional techniques or technologies of governmentality (e.g., Chee 2012;Inda 2005;Popkewitz et al 2006;Simons and Masschelein 2006;Wright and Rabo 2010). While some scholars acknowledge a distinct focus on "advanced" neoliberal democracies (Dean 2010;Rose 2006), most studies seem to take for granted that the government has techniques or technologies of governance at its disposal; it is simply up to the researcher to identify the types of techniques and how they operate.…”