The Government of Desire: A Genealogy of the Liberal Subject
The Government of Desire: A Genealogy of the Liberal Subject
Cite
Abstract
The book is a contribution to the genealogy and critique of ourselves, and of our own present, advocated by Foucault. It does that by focusing on the problem of desire in our western culture. For centuries, it was thought that desire needed to be dominated in order for the good life to flourish. This began to change in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, when desire was no longer seen as something to be governed, or as an object of pastoral and spiritual care, but as an instrument of government. Liberalism, the book argues, coincides with this shift in attitude. Far from amounting to a straightforward liberation of desire, this onto-historical shift amounts to a specific process of subjectivation, one that continues to shape our present. It required the emergence of specific rationalities (political economy, the science of sexuality, the philosophy and psychology of recognition), each of which frames desire in a precise way, and the collaboration of various institutions – the court room, the market, the family, schools, the office, etc. Together, they amount to a formidable operation of normalization - that is, a new way of experiencing, understanding and governing the (desiring) self - and constitute the pillars of what, following Foucault, the book calls liberal governmentality. But a critique of ourselves also asks if and how we could govern ourselves differently, and the sort of subjects we could become. The book concludes by advocating a sovereign, anarchic form of desire as an alternative to liberal governmentality.
-
Front Matter
-
Introduction
Why Desire?
-
Part One Homo Oeconomicus
Miguel de Beistegui -
83Part Two Homo Sexualis
Miguel de Beistegui -
Part Three Homo Symbolicus
Miguel de Beistegui -
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 3 |
December 2022 | 3 |
December 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 2 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 4 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 1 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 1 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
September 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 4 |
December 2023 | 12 |
April 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 4 |
January 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 3 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.