Anthropologies of Modernity – Foucault, Governmentality and Life Politics

Authored by some of the foremost writers in anthropology, these essays explore modern government as a field of thought and action. They examine the multiplicity of authorities, bodies of knowledge, strategies, and technologies involved in governing the biological and social life of the human. Their analysis is articulated around diverse phenomena, from colonialism and globalization to war, genetics, and AIDS; and they cover an array of geographic sites, from Brazil and French Guiana to Italy, Ukraine, and India. The volume thereby provides an overview of how anthropologists have engaged with Foucault and how Foucault has transformed anthropological theorizing.