Thanks for this interesting post.
There are lots and lots of studies of governmentality, some good, others not
so good. But Mitchell Dean might be a good place to start for an English
language view (from Australia). I was going to say that Thomas Lemke's work
is well worth looking at, mainly Eine Kritik der politischen Vernunft, but
i've just noticed you mentioned this in your recent post. As you say he
worked with the tapes of the unpublished lectures to produce this book,
there's a piece in Economy and Society i think that summarises some of the
material, but he co-edited a book called Gouvernmentalitaet der Gegenwart
which may be of interest.
In terms of Foucault's claims in Il faut defendre la societe, I think Laura
Ann Stoler, Race and the Education of Desire is worth looking at, as well as
her more recent book whose title i forget. Otherwise, check out some of the
sources for Foucault's work, such as Jacques Barzun, The French Race.
Boulainvillier's own work is worth looking at too.
I think Foucault looks at Germany in some detail in one of the later courses
at the College de France (1978 or 1979 Securite, Territoire, Population and
Naissance de la biopolitique), Lemke will have the details. I think you're
right that Germany developed along different lines, but the complications
arise around Bismarck, unification, and the 1918 defeat. I think some of the
1978/1979 courses would be helpful with your project on the welfare state,
as would a huge range of the governmentality literature (Nikolas Rose and
those people around him that edited the Foucault and Political Reason book,
among many others).
The 1978 and 1979 lectures are forthcoming, and there is a piece about them
in a new book called Foucault au College de France by their editor. The most
recent course to be published, out in the last couple of days, is Le pouvoir
psychiatrique from 1973-74. I'm waiting for a copy.
Good luck with the work
Best wishes
Stuart
There are lots and lots of studies of governmentality, some good, others not
so good. But Mitchell Dean might be a good place to start for an English
language view (from Australia). I was going to say that Thomas Lemke's work
is well worth looking at, mainly Eine Kritik der politischen Vernunft, but
i've just noticed you mentioned this in your recent post. As you say he
worked with the tapes of the unpublished lectures to produce this book,
there's a piece in Economy and Society i think that summarises some of the
material, but he co-edited a book called Gouvernmentalitaet der Gegenwart
which may be of interest.
In terms of Foucault's claims in Il faut defendre la societe, I think Laura
Ann Stoler, Race and the Education of Desire is worth looking at, as well as
her more recent book whose title i forget. Otherwise, check out some of the
sources for Foucault's work, such as Jacques Barzun, The French Race.
Boulainvillier's own work is worth looking at too.
I think Foucault looks at Germany in some detail in one of the later courses
at the College de France (1978 or 1979 Securite, Territoire, Population and
Naissance de la biopolitique), Lemke will have the details. I think you're
right that Germany developed along different lines, but the complications
arise around Bismarck, unification, and the 1918 defeat. I think some of the
1978/1979 courses would be helpful with your project on the welfare state,
as would a huge range of the governmentality literature (Nikolas Rose and
those people around him that edited the Foucault and Political Reason book,
among many others).
The 1978 and 1979 lectures are forthcoming, and there is a piece about them
in a new book called Foucault au College de France by their editor. The most
recent course to be published, out in the last couple of days, is Le pouvoir
psychiatrique from 1973-74. I'm waiting for a copy.
Good luck with the work
Best wishes
Stuart