Dear list:
On page 2 of his introduction to The Foucault Effect, Colin Gordon refers to Foucault's understanding of government as having a 'wide and narrow sense'. The general (wide?) meaning is supposed to be the 'conduct of conduct'. That is, a form of activity that aims to affect conduct. This activity seems to have four possible locations where it can take place: self/self; private interpersonal relations; relations within institutions; and relations concerning political sovereignty. Fine. But what then is the 'narrow' sense of the term government? Reading on, it does not seem that Gordon ever defines it explicitly but instead simply elaborates on the rationality of government. Am I trying too hard here?
NiK
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Nicholas J. Kiersey
PhD Candidate, Environmental Design & Planning
(Public and International Affairs Stream)
Virginia Tech
mobile phone: (540) 250-3056
email: nkiersey@xxxxxx
iChat/AIM: thenervousfishdown@xxxxxxx
blog: http://homepage.mac.com/thenervousfishdown/iblog/
On page 2 of his introduction to The Foucault Effect, Colin Gordon refers to Foucault's understanding of government as having a 'wide and narrow sense'. The general (wide?) meaning is supposed to be the 'conduct of conduct'. That is, a form of activity that aims to affect conduct. This activity seems to have four possible locations where it can take place: self/self; private interpersonal relations; relations within institutions; and relations concerning political sovereignty. Fine. But what then is the 'narrow' sense of the term government? Reading on, it does not seem that Gordon ever defines it explicitly but instead simply elaborates on the rationality of government. Am I trying too hard here?
NiK
----------------------------------
Nicholas J. Kiersey
PhD Candidate, Environmental Design & Planning
(Public and International Affairs Stream)
Virginia Tech
mobile phone: (540) 250-3056
email: nkiersey@xxxxxx
iChat/AIM: thenervousfishdown@xxxxxxx
blog: http://homepage.mac.com/thenervousfishdown/iblog/