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The biological features of human beings are now measured, observed, and understood in ways never before thought possible, defining norms, establishing standards, and determining average values of human life. While the notion of "biopolitics" has been linked to everything from rational decision-making and the democratic organization of social life to eugenics and racism, Thomas Lemke offers the very first systematic overview of the history of the notion of biopolitics, exploring its relevance in contemporary theoretical debates and providing a much needed primer on the topic.

Lemke explains that life has become an independent, objective and measurable factor as well as a collective reality that can be separated from concrete living beings and the singularity of individual experience. He shows how our understanding of the processes of life, the organizing of populations and the need to "govern" individuals and collectives lead to practices of correction, exclusion, normalization, and disciplining. In this lucidly written book, Lemke outlines the stakes and the debates surrounding biopolitics, providing a systematic overview of the history of the notion and making clear its relevance for sociological and contemporary theoretical debates. "Thomas Lemke's Biopolitics: An Advanced Introductionis required reading for anyone interested in this concept." -- Carlos Novas * New Genetics and Society * "[This book] advances an analytics of 'biopolitics' as a 'prospective' methodological approach, offering a number of valuable and provocative questions to guide future research." * Foucault Studies * "Lemke (Goethe Univ., Germany) offers an overview of biopolitics and an account of its relevance in theoretical debate... Recommended." * Choice * "What Lemkes final chapter makes plain, and what can thus be read back into the book on the whole...is that biopolitics is a coherent field of inquiry for future work in anthropology, sociology, science studies, and of course history and philosophy, and that it is such precisely because it is a field of inquiry, namely an arena for rigorous investigation and severe thought... This is a crucial task. Lemke is to be applauded for showing both its coherence and its needfulness." * Theory & Event *

Biopolitics: An Advanced Introduction

Foreword by Monica J. Casper and Lisa Jean Moore Preface Introduction 1 Life as the Basis of Politics 2 Life as an Object of Politics 3 The Government of Living Beings: Michel Foucault 4 Sovereign Power and Bare Life: Giorgio Agamben 5 Capitalism and the Living Multitude: Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri 6 The Disappearance and Transformation of Politics 7 The End and Reinvention of Nature 8 Vital Politics and Bioeconomy 9 Prospect: An Analytics of Biopolitics Notes References Index About the Author